Younger workers lured back to office with ‘perks and pizzas’

Younger workers’ office attendance is on the rise as companies offer perks such as free pizzas and drinks.

According to the latest Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index for the first quarter of 2024, Gen Z workers (up to the age of 27) are attending the office 10% more than at the end of last year.

The majority of businesses are now mandating in-office working days, according to the index, with 89% expecting employees to work in person for at least some of the week.

Almost half (46%) of all those surveyed are working in the office more frequently compared to three months ago, VMO2 said.

To maintain office attendance and offset costs for employees, it found that businesses are offering perks including free drinks (27%), regular socials (22%), free lunch on certain days (18%) and free pizza (12%).

Companies are also looking to increase staff productivity with flexible hours (51%), productivity tools (36%), virtual events (16%), and making connectivity more reliable for hybrid working.

Data from O2 Motion, a service that uses aggregated data from mobile signals to analyse movement trends, showed that daily commute trips for Gen Z workers are up 9% compared to the same time last year. In January, commutes rose by 14%, it found.

Despite this shift in working location trends, VMO2 found that only 10% of businesses have long-term plans to allow employees to choose where they work.

The company’s data also found that most workers will stay in the UK rather than take a foreign trip for the upcoming May bank holidays. To encourage spending, 37% of businesses are planning special deals and discounts during this period.

According to analyst company Gartner, strict return-to-office policies could backfire for employers. A survey published in February found that employees’ “intent to stay” with a company declined if they were mandated to return to the office – particularly women and millennial workers.

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