Four in 10 employers returned fully to the office in 2023

Four in 10 companies returned to a full-time office week in 2023, according to a new annual movers index from Virgin Media O2 Business.

The communications company published its first index of this kind, which collects anonymised and aggregated data created by the mobile phone network. This creates a picture of how people travel and where they commute.

Although more than half (55%) of commuters experienced public transport delays of an hour or more on their commute, Virgin Media O2 billed 2023 as the “great office return”. This was also in spite of commuters spending up to £7,540 a year on going into the office, including travel and lunch.

Its research revealed that 52% of workers preferred to go to the office, and 39% attended the office more frequently last year than in 2022. Rail commuting trips went up by 2% from the first quarter of 2023 to the final quarter.

The cities experiencing the highest growth in rail commuting were Cardiff (70%), Sheffield (61%) and Edinburgh (45%). Commuting in London fell by 9%. Overall commutes went up by 24% if London was excluded.

Wednesdays were the preferred office day, cited by almost three-quarters (73%) of workers. Just over a third of workers (34%) increased their use of public transport to minimise their environmental impact, although many cited annoyances such as people listening to music without headphones or loud conversations as spoiling their commute.

Jo Bertram, managing director of Virgin Media O2 Business, said: “2023 was marked by pressures from the cost-of-living crisis and inflation, but Brits and businesses adapted, setting trends that are likely to continue in 2024.

She added that people “rediscovered the benefits of their workplaces” as employers set up firmer office day policies.

“Brits found ways to prioritise their spending and public transport presented a way to get on the move at a lower cost, allowing them to spend more supporting local businesses when they needed it most,” she said.

Virgin Media O2’s research is published as new data analysis has revealed that a spike in working solely from home could lead to increased loneliness among workers.

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