How important is working from the office? Business decision makers weigh in

A recent YouGov survey asked 1007 business decision makers how important it is for employees to work from the office full-time. The results show some interesting differences based on the size of the company.

For microbusinesses, which have fewer than 10 employees, only 36% of decision makers think it’s important for employees to be in the office full-time. A larger percentage, 58%, believe it’s not important. This trend changes as companies get bigger. In small businesses with 10 to 49 employees, 55% say it’s important for employees to work from the office full-time, while 41% disagree.

Medium-sized businesses, which have 50 to 249 employees, see an even higher importance placed on office presence. Here, three in five decision makers believe it’s important for employees to be in the office full-time (62%), with only two-fifths (38%) saying it’s not important.

Interestingly, the trend shifts again with large businesses that have 250 or more employees. In these companies, 47% of decision makers think it’s important for employees to work from the office full-time, while a slightly larger group, 52%, say it’s not.

Overall, the data reveals that smaller businesses tend to place less emphasis on employees working from the office full-time compared to medium-sized businesses. However, large businesses show a more balanced view, with almost equal numbers of decision makers on both sides of the issue.

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Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online on 26 February – 4 March 2024, with a nationally representative sample of 1,007 businesses decision makers (aged 18+ years) in Great Britain, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov.