Energy costs drive workers back to the office this winter

Almost half of hybrid workers say they plan to go into their office more often this winter to save money on energy bills. Is your practice prepared?

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A new survey conducted by Instantprint has found that 85% of office workers now find the idea of working from the office more appealing as the cost of living rises. Nearly half (45%) of hybrid workers say they will commute into the office to alleviate the impact of high energy bills this winter; 15% say that they'll choose to work from the office throughout the winter. However, the findings suggest that 15% of offices do not have capacity to handle a full team since working from home has become the norm.

The cost of energy is not the only reason that many hybrid workers are being tempted back into the office. The survey findings also show that workers are keen to work in the office because of:

  • collaboration opportunities (cited by 46%)
  • better work-life balance (46%)
  • free tea, coffee and snacks (39%).

The survey also found that nearly one in four (24%) of UK workers feel that their employers could be supporting them more during the cost-of-living crisis, and 73% believe that employers in general should be doing more to support their workers with their rising energy bills. Four per cent of respondents say they aren't being supported at all – equating to more than 1.3 million employees in the UK.

Employees are looking for a number of ways to get support from their employers, including:

  • pay rises or bonuses (cited by 45%)
  • education on tax relief (44%)
  • incentives to use public transport (39%)
  • free hot drinks (37%)
  • incentives for car sharing (33%)
  • free hot meals (23%)
  • finance and budgeting training (22%).

Despite men and women stating that they are both as likely to come into the office more this winter (58% and 59% respectively), men are more inclined to find this an appealing option (86% vs 83%). More men than women also feel supported by their employer ahead of soaring energy prices (73% vs 65%).

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