Research from Remit Consulting has revealed the full impact of fears regarding the Omicron variant and the UK government’s ‘Work from Home’ guidance on the volume of people working in the office. The firm’s latest Return Report shows that the UK’s average office occupancy levels for the week ending Friday 17 December fell by over ten percentage points, from 20.8% the previous week, to 10.7%, the lowest figure recorded by Remit Consulting since June.
The firm’s Return Report reveals the volume of office-based workers in the week following the Prime Minister’s announcement (December 8th) outlining additional Covid-19 restrictions, including the guidance for people to ‘Work from Home’ if possible.
“The start of the school holidays and the Christmas break means the fall in the number of people working from the office was to be expected. However, the extent of the drop means that last week, there were fewer people in the office than during the summer holiday period,” said Lorna Landells of Remit Consulting.
“This dramatic fall will be of worry to business occupiers and property owners alike, though not unexpected.
“The mixed messages from the Government, combined with the feelings of trepidation surrounding the Omicron variant, have caused further uncertainty for businesses and staff,” she added.
Remit Consulting’s research on office occupancy also tracks the levels of car parking and visitor numbers for the buildings in the survey, both of which also showed sharp falls for the week ending 17 December.
