Offices set for surge of chilly workers this winter

Nearly half of hybrid workers will be working from the office more this winter thanks to spiralling energy costs, with 15% of offices without capacity to handle a full team.

The study, conducted by online printing specialists, instantprint, involved 1,000 UK employees in the hopes of exploring how staff will be planning on working this winter. The influx of workers may pose a problem for employers. When asked whether workers’ office spaces, 15% admitted their office wasn’t able to provide capacity for the full team.

Laura Mucklow, Head of instantprint, says, “If your office space doesn’t have the capacity for a full team, you’ll need to find a way to manage the space fairly, for example by introducing a seat booking policy. From tidying up the office to modifying it with wall mountable storage, make sure everyone has equal opportunity to work from the office as and when they need to this winter.”

As well as incentives for public transport (39%) and car-sharing (33%), 37% would appreciate their firm providing free hot drinks to keep them warm this winter.

Unsurprisingly, many workers believe employers should be doing more to support with energy bills, according to the poll. Most simply, that involves a pay rise, while a quarter of men want finance and budgeting training and almost half desire some kind of education on tax relief.

Four per cent of respondents admitted that they aren’t being supported at all. This translates to over 1.3 million employees in the UK.

Best ways to support employees during the cost-of-living crisis

• Pay rises or bonuses
• Educate employees on any tax relief that’s available to them
• Encourage/incentivise the use of public transport
• Provide free hot drinks
• Encourage/incentivise car-sharing
• Provide free hot meals
• Offer finance and budgeting training

Read more:

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