London is back: Office occupancy reaches pre-pandemic levels
London office occupancy peaked at 42 per cent on Thursday 10 March, the highest single daily rate in the capital since before the pandemic in 2020. The weekly average prior to the pandemic was 63 per cent.
Furthermore, last week was the highest weekly average for the UK and London, with both averaging 31 per cent office occupancy across the five days.
The UK’s weekly average occupancy increased by 5 per cent from the previous week, and London increased by 7 per cent.
The findings come from The Freespace Index, which is derived from around 120,000 sensors worldwide that measure building occupancy and environmental conditions.
The anonymous data provides an insight into working patterns, environments and office utilisation.
“The conversation continues to shift in regards to the return to work, and it seems there’s still plenty of life in the office yet,” said Raj Krishnamurthy, Freespace CEO.
He told City PM this morning that “London is heading in a positive direction with occupancy, but this is now become more purposeful in terms of how people want to work, what spaces they are using, and what the overall purpose of the office is.”
“To have the opportunity to define how this should evolve is an exciting prospect allowing organisations to tailor the workplace to accommodate the needs of their employees who have adapted well to a hybrid model.
“Employees are looking for organisations where the technology, infrastructure and culture addresses their need for professional development, personal wellbeing and social responsibility.”
“Smart employers will interpret workplace data to respond to changing needs while also providing tools that use such data to positively empower their employees at work,” he concluded.