Finance Wants Its Workers Back In The Office. But Those Workers Aren't Keen
A new poll of more than 500 UK finance workers has found that a big majority no longer see the office as their main place of work, even though banks have been among the companies pushing hardest for staff to come back to the office.
The poll, commissioned by Bloomberg UK and undertaken by YouGov, found that just 14% of financial sector workers consider the office their primary place of work. Home was the primary workplace for 42% of workers, while 44% said they considered themselves hybrid workers.
When it came to time in the office, less than a fifth said they would want to come in three days a week or more. Just under 60% said they want to come in one or two days a week, while 22% said they don’t want to come in at all.
The question for office owners will be whether people coming in less often will lead to companies needing less space.
Big banks like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase have been among the most vocal when it comes to encouraging staff back to the office.
Citibank is spending more than £100M renovating its Canary Wharf office tower in order to make it fit for a world of work in which people don’t feel they have to come into the office daily. The reimagined office will cater to hybrid workers, Insider reports, offering an assortment of quiet, private workspaces, meeting rooms, collaboration spaces and socializing areas, as well as personal services and "wellbeing zones."
