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New research shows that fewer than half of U.K. workers would comply with a full-time return-to-office requirement, with resistance especially strong among women and parents. Despite widespread claims of a post-pandemic return to the workplace, remote working rates have remained steady since 2022.
The findings come from a study by the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London and King’s Business School, which analysed over one million Labour Force Survey records and 50,000 responses from the Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes U.K..
By late 2024, only 42% of workers said they would follow a five-day office mandate, down from 54% in early 2022. Over half said they would either start job hunting or quit immediately if forced back full-time. Among women, 64% said they would leave or look for new work, compared to 51% of men.
Parents, particularly fathers of school-age children and mothers of young children, have shown increasing reluctance to accept rigid office policies. For instance, 53% of fathers with school-age children would now quit or job hunt under a full return mandate, up from 38% in 2022.
The research also emphasizes disparities based on race, with Black and minority ethnic workers more likely to comply with office mandates, possibly due to concerns over job security or workplace discrimination.
Despite rhetoric suggesting a widespread return to offices, hybrid work remains firmly embedded in the U.K. labor market. Around 25% of workers report working from home three or more days per week, and the average number of permitted remote days has slowly increased since 2022. Still, fully remote work is becoming less common, with more employers limiting homeworking to one or two days a week.
The report warns that strict in-office requirements may erode workplace diversity and deepen inequality. Women and parents could face penalties for working remotely, while rigid policies may harm recruitment and retention. The researchers advise organizations to treat flexibility as a strategic necessity rather than a short-term response to the pandemic.
