A new report of over 2,000 UK adults has found that working from the office at least some days of the week, promotes happiness across the UK workforce.
The report conducted by Making Moves found that just 19.23% of workers said they are unhappy working from the office any day of the week, which drops to 7.95% for Gen Z workers. This suggests that most (80.77%) of UK office workers are happy working from the office at least some days of the week.
Taking into account the recent news of large firms including Amazon, 3M, Santander and Salesforce calling for staff to return to the office – which has been met with large criticism and backlash, it’s interesting this report shows there are positive benefits when employees are called back into the office. According to the study, the top reasons for UK office workers to work from the office include:
- Socialising with colleagues – (41.52%)
- Getting out of the house – (39%)
- Better collaboration and communication with colleagues – (35.69%)
- Feeling more productive in an office environment – (30.85%)
- Having a dedicated workspace – (30.45%)
- Maintaining better work-life boundaries – (30.20%)
- Access to better equipment and resources – (29.16%)
- Increased physical activity – (25.65%)
- Reduced distractions compared to working from home – (24.37%)
- Preference for working in a social environment – (22.29%)
It’s interesting to see that ‘getting out of the house’ has been cited as the second most popular reason for working from the office. A 2024 medical study suggests that 57% of Brits have low vitamin D levels, so leaving the house to work from the office has physical health benefits, too.
Sally Evans, Managing Director at Making Moves, commented:
Our study shows that the vast majority of UK office workers feel happiest when working from the office at least some days of the week – which highlights the benefits of in-office working. When bringing teams together in the office on specific days, you should capitalise on this time by arranging key meetings or team socials – so colleagues can really benefit from these face-to-face interactions.
Sally Evans, Managing Director at Making Moves
You can find the full study here: https://makingmoveslondon.co.uk/study-the-happiest-day-of-the-week-to-work-from-the-office-and-beyond/
Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.