British employees are pushing back against calls to work more frequently in the office, amid complaints of insufficient desks and facilities.
A fifth of workers surveyed by Remit Consulting cited a shortage of workspace as one of their top three reasons for staying away. Researchers say this highlights how some firms cut back too far on office space after the pandemic ushered in a wave of home working.
Several major companies have pared back their real estate footprints to reduce overheads, with insurers such as Aviva and banking giant HSBC among the most high-profile. HSBC, for instance, will soon vacate its Canary Wharf tower for a smaller building near St Paul’s Cathedral.
Elijah Lewis, of Remit Consulting, said the findings “clearly merit further investigation”, adding: “If this trend continues, it could suggest that the shift towards prioritising meeting and breakout areas at the expense of individual desks may have been taken too far.” He noted the survey began probing sentiment around desk shortages only in November, following feedback from property managers that it was quickly becoming a pressing issue.
It is a challenge that has also beset major firms in the United States. Retail and technology giant Amazon, for example, was forced to postpone office returns for thousands of employees after realising there would not be enough physical space for them to work on-site five days a week.
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