Almost nine in 10 workers in the UK are now required to come into the office more days each week, according to data from Virgin Media O2.

Its latest business movers index shows that the most common compulsory office days are Mondays and Wednesdays, at 65% and 67% respectively. Just under half of employees are required to come in on Fridays, it revealed.

Three-quarters of companies required employees to attend in person three days a week during the final quarter of last year, up from 67% in the final quarter of 2023.

Over the same period, the proportion of companies requiring attendance four days a week rose from 46% to 50%.

Among those who opt to work remotely, 55% said this was down to having more flexibility, 55% said they saved money, and 35% appreciated being able to focus away from colleagues.

Return-to-office mandates

Advertising giant WPP demands return to office 

Amazon orders full-time office return 

Virgin Media O2’s index, based on insights from mobile data, reflects recent announcements from major employers around return-to-office mandates.

Staff at advertising giant WPP, for example, recently launched a petition ahead of the introduction of a four-day office return policy.

Investment bank JP Morgan has also mandated a full return to the office but ran into issues last week due to desk shortages.

Mónica Mercado Páez, head of AI and data at Virgin Media O2 Business, said: “As businesses have begun establishing office attendance policies, our anonymised and aggregated O2 mobile data reveals a mixed impact on commuting nationwide.

“Despite implementing these measures, the number of Brits commuting to major towns decreased by 7% in 2024 compared to 2023, indicating companies are still embracing hybrid and remote working options.”

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