UK Workplace Trends 2023: January

Welcome to our new monthly round up of UK workplace trends, where we pick out the key workplace trends which are affecting the UK workplace and find out a bit more about the stories behind the headlines.

Do employers want their people back in the office?

Tony Danker, Director General of the CBI (the UK’s largest business group), revealed in an interview with www.BBC.co.uk/news  last week that his conversations with company bosses have revealed that they secretly want their employees back in the office.  Elon Musk has been one of the several high-profile employers to scrap home working, demanding that his employees at both Twitter and Tesla return to the office.

Read the article here.

The four-day work week

A UK four-day work week has had positive results in terms of employee satisfaction and productivity according to this recent article by www.Allwork.space. The trial last year involved 70 companies, 86% of whom called it a success and are considering continuing with it. However, expansion beyond the tech sector, which already embraces agile working technologies, has been slow.

Read the article here

Local Amenities increase the return to the office

Getting to the office has been the biggest issue for rail commuters during this winter, with regular train and tube strikes, but one key factor that affects worker return to specific locations is about local amenities.  This article in new property media outlet www.Benews.co.uk shares recent results of an analysis of Transport for London data combined with PLACEMAKE.IO’s ‘office stock density index.’  It shows tube stations in areas with a better mix of offices and food and beverage and retail outlets showed higher traffic levels than areas more densely built with offices.

Read the article here.

Flexible workspace and coworking demand grows

Jane Sartin, Executive Director of flexible workspace Industry association www.FlexSA.co.uk  shared her views of what’s in store for the industry in 2023.  She shared the Instant Group’s report that demand for flexible workspace had grown by 22% in 2022 and also that coworking had seen a post-pandemic resurgence as an affordable option for SME’s and micro businesses who want office space and to work amongst peers.

Read article here.

UK workplace trends summary

So, in summary, the key workplace trends and stories to emerge at the beginning of the year are around the return to the office in 2023, what type of workspace organisations need and work life experience.

If you are looking for a new London office for your team in 2023, LentaSpace have 14 flexible workspace locations across London, offering a variety of office sizes from 1 to 60 on flexible terms, meeting rooms and virtual office services.  Contact our team on 0207 953 8080 or complete the contact form here to find out more.