Nearly two thirds of bosses predict return to office within three years
A little under two thirds of chief executives in the UK and around the world think that people will have returned to the office by 2026, a new survey has suggested.
A poll of 1,325 bosses, 150 of whom are in the UK, found that 64 per cent predict a full return to in-office working within the next three years.
It is a small decrease from the 65 per cent who said the same in consultancy KPMG’s annual survey last year.
But Jon Holt, chief executive of KPMG in the UK, warned companies that to attract good workers they might have to offer some kind of hybrid model in the future.
“This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. And issuing an ‘all hands on deck’”’ edict is a simple response to a complex issue – it won’t work for all businesses,” said Mr Holt.
“Some sort of hybrid working is likely to remain a useful way to attract and retain the good people the CEOs know their business needs.
“Having the right employee value proposition to attract and retain talent is near the top of the priority list for CEOs in our survey.”
He said that this is particularly the case for younger staff members who came into the workforce during Covid and are facing pressures from the cost of living crisis more than some of their better-paid colleagues.
“As leaders, we have a duty to nurture and support their careers and wellbeing. And spending at least some of their time in the office is likely to be good for those younger colleagues,” he said.
The survey found that 73 per cent of global chief executives have confidence in the global economic outlook for the next three years. That is up from 71 per cent a year earlier. In the UK the same figure has decreased from 79 per cent to 77 per cent.
The survey was conducted between 15 August and 15 September. The chief executives came from 11 countries and the companies they run all had at least $500m (£412m) in annual revenues.
By August Graham – Press Asssociation