Employees are finally returning to the office to enjoy the air conditioning: figures show that desk occupancy rates are skyrocketing as the weather means it’s too hot for WFH
- Data shows that office occupancy across the UK hit 42 percent last Tuesday
- Temperatures have been rising steadily this week, with record highs on the way
- Warm weather has resulted in many employees returning to the office
Workers are back in the office in record post-pandemic numbers as soaring temperatures mean they want to enjoy employer air-conditioning rather than work from home.
That met office has said there is an 80 per cent chance the mercury will surpass the UK’s record temperature of 38.7C (101.7F) set in Cambridge in 2019, with the current heatwave peaking on Tuesday will reach.
Temperatures are set to rise over the weekend and the Met Office has issued an amber heat warning from Sunday to Tuesday, covering much of England and Wales.
But warm weather this week has already prompted a surge in staff returning to offices to use the air conditioning.
Before the pandemic, the average office occupancy rate was 60 percent, the Times reports.
Average office occupancy across the country was 42 percent on Tuesday – the busiest day so far this year, according to data from Freespace.
Workers are back in the office in record post-pandemic numbers as soaring temperatures mean they want to enjoy employer air-conditioning rather than work from home
In London, Tuesday’s occupancy rate was even higher at 43 percent, while the traditionally quieter Monday hit 26 percent.
Freespace CEO Raj Krishnamurthy commented, “People have more flexibility and more say in where, when and how they work. Visiting the office to enjoy the air-conditioned environments and cool off in this extreme heat is another way to demonstrate the benefits of the modern office.
“The right work environment is all employees want, and companies should focus on that rather than fret too much about forcing a certain work pattern.
“Looking ahead, the same could be said about expected behavior in winter to keep warm, which will turn out to be a balance between transportation costs and the cost of heating your home office.
“The acceptance of new work patterns has given everyone a new freedom to work where they want and how they want; to toggle the selector between independent and collaborative work as needed.
“This freedom must be used. Businesses will benefit significantly from smarter use of their real estate resources in the coming months and years.’
Cabinet Office minister Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured above), who ranked the headquarters’ occupation, began patrolling government buildings and leaving notes on empty desks
It comes as the government continues its push to bring workers back to the Whitehall office.
Most departments are still more than a third empty, although ministers have made great efforts to get staff back to their desks.
Latest official figures show that 12 of the 19 key government departments were less than 67 percent occupied at the start of the month as thousands of civil servants continue to work from home.
The Foreign Office building on King Charles Street was the quietest with just four in 10 officials present, despite their crucial role in imposing sanctions on Russia and trying to mend the Brexit deal.
The interior ministry, which oversees the government’s policy on deporting migrants to Rwanda, was only half full (51 percent occupied). HMRC was little better at 53 per cent – amid growing complaints about how long tax officials are taking to answer calls.
Only two headquarters were more than three-quarters occupied in the week beginning June 27 — the Department of Commerce (79 percent) and the Department of Defense (80 percent). Former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told the Daily Mail: “You need to get back to work. There’s no excuse.’
The note left by Cabinet Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg on empty desks in Whitehall
The numbers come despite senior ministers fighting to end the “WFH” culture that has taken hold during lockdown.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Cabinet Office minister who prepared the table for staffing headquarters, began patrolling buildings and leaving notes on empty desks. But as the Mail revealed, dozens of government agencies have quietly agreed to a “hybrid” labor policy this year, requiring staff to be present only two days a week.
At a recent BBQ by MPs, the head of public services, Simon Case, admitted: “It’s important that we make the best use of taxpayers’ money.” But he also added, “Hybrid working has been part of the way public services work for a decade.”
