March 25, 2024
Commuter towns becoming main place of work for many people
New office footfall data from IWG taken from more than 400 locations across the UK, suggests that over the past two years workers have significantly increased their use of office workspaces in rural, suburban and commuter towns, choosing to forgo lengthy daily commutes and work closer to home.
Flexible workspaces in former commuter towns such as Maidenhead (+171 percent), High Wycombe (+158 percent), Uxbridge (+134 percent), Milton Keynes (+79 percent) and Amersham (+76 percent) have seen some of the largest increases in demand and office footfall across IWG’s network.
After rail fares rose again by 4.9 percent, employee desire to reduce time and money spent on long daily commutes has been central to the growing popularity of local working, IWG claims.
Top 10 rural, suburban and town office locations for footfall growth since 2022:
- Maidenhead (+171 percent)
- High Wycombe (+158 percent)
- Uxbridge (+134 percent)
- Milton Keynes (+79 percent)
- Amersham (+77 percent)
- Reading (+75 percent)
- Slough (+68 percent)
- Chertsey (+64 percent)
- Chelmsford (+63 percent)
- Preston (+49 percent)
Another poll from IWG among of more than 2,000 workers also suggests that the once traditional 9-5 working day is no longer a reality for millions of people. It found that three quarters (75 percent) of hybrid workers are choosing their own hours and now almost two thirds (64 percent) say they now rarely work a 9-5 day as a result.
The mass adoption of hybrid working means that than four in five (83 percent) workers now have more freedom to tailor their own schedules and as a result, millions are choosing to start their day earlier or later to take advantage of their most productive hours, facilitated by working from offices closer to where they live. Early starts have become the norm for many, as 43 percent now start their day at 08.00 or earlier as a result of having a shorter morning commute. One in five also choose to work later, with 19 percent logging off at 18.30 or later.
Allowing hybrid workers to tailor their working hours to their lifestyles is also making them more productive, the firm argues. The survey suggests that on average they are working one hour a week fewer than they would have done when based in a central office five days a week, allowing for a better work/life balance.
