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Office workers across the United Kingdom are returning to workplaces in increasing numbers, pushing office attendance to its highest level since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, experts say the trend suggests the workplace is stabilizing rather than fully returning to pre-pandemic patterns.
Major financial institutions including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase have been at the forefront of the push to bring employees back to offices full-time. Both firms have implemented stricter return-to-office requirements, with some staff expected to work on-site five days a week. These policies have triggered criticism from many employees who argue that flexible working arrangements should remain.
According to the latest ReTurn report by Remit Consulting, average office attendance in the UK has remained above 40% every week since the beginning of January. The highest level recorded was 44.2% in the week ending 13 February, marking the strongest attendance since the pandemic forced the first national lockdown in March 2020. Attendance temporarily dropped to 42.2% during the half-term holiday week but rebounded to 44.1% shortly afterward.
Office usage differs significantly between cities. In the week ending 27 February, Bristol recorded the highest occupancy at 69.2%, followed by Leeds at 64.6% and Cardiff at 63.8%. Other cities saw lower rates, including Edinburgh (53.7%), Manchester (50.7%), Birmingham (42.3%), and London (41.5%). Meanwhile, Newcastle upon Tyne (39.3%) and Glasgow (31.6%) recorded the lowest levels of office attendance.
Lorna Landells, a partner at Remit Consulting and co-author of the report, explained that workplace patterns are beginning to stabilize. She said office attendance is “no longer falling sharply nor rapidly recovering,” but instead reaching a new balance shaped by hybrid working. Employees, she noted, are more willing to come into the office when there is a clear reason to do so, such as collaboration or team meetings.
Landells emphasized that flexible working arrangements are now a standard expectation rather than a workplace benefit. She added that companies, investors, and developers must rethink how offices are designed to better support modern work habits. The focus is shifting toward creating workplaces that encourage productivity, collaboration, and a stronger employee experience.
Despite the overall increase in attendance, opposition to full-time office mandates remains significant. More than 2,000 employees at JPMorgan Chase have signed a petition opposing the bank’s five-day office requirement introduced by CEO Jamie Dimon in early 2025.
The petition argues that mandatory office attendance harms workers and undermines the company’s commitments to diversity and inclusion. Employees claim that rigid policies disproportionately affect women, caregivers, older workers, and people with disabilities. They also warn that commuting requirements increase traffic congestion and environmental pollution.
Some workers have pointed out that their teams are distributed across multiple countries and time zones, making daily office attendance unnecessary. Many employees believe hybrid working offers the best balance between productivity and work-life flexibility.
City-level data also reveals gradual increases in several regions. Birmingham and Newcastle have maintained attendance above 40% in recent weeks, while Leeds and Cardiff consistently exceed 60%. Bristol even reached 75.4% occupancy during the final week of January.
Glasgow, however, continues to lag behind other cities. The city has a high proportion of public-sector employees and experienced stricter Covid restrictions during the pandemic, which slowed the return to office compared with other parts of the UK.
Before the pandemic, national office occupancy typically ranged between 60% and 80%, as offices were rarely completely full due to holidays, sickness, or off-site meetings.
At the same time, businesses are beginning to commit again to large office spaces. Data from commercial property group CoStar Group shows that 14 new office leases exceeding 100,000 square feet were signed last year, the highest level since 2017.
Several major banks have expanded their office footprints after downsizing too aggressively during the pandemic. Both JPMorgan Chase and HSBC have recently secured office spaces of roughly 200,000 square feet each.
Property consultancy Knight Frank noted that most companies are now planning office spaces around peak-attendance days rather than full-time occupancy. Some firms are also experimenting with cost-saving strategies, such as closing certain office floors on quieter days like Fridays.
Overall, the UK workplace landscape appears to be entering a new phase where hybrid work remains dominant, while offices continue to play an important role in collaboration and company culture.
