TravelPerk Study Reveals Majority of UK Employees Believe In-Person Meetings Drive Connections, Boost Productivity and Creativity

• Almost 80% of UK workers are somewhat or very happy with the current work model in place at their company
• Among the 68% of UK employees expected to go into the office for a certain number of days a week or month, 28% work five days a week compared to those who work four days, three days, two days a week or less
• 46% of UK employees who are hybrid workers tend to prefer this working model because they spend less time commuting

LONDON, April 11, 2023 – New research from TravelPerk, the fastest-growing global travel management platform, revealed that 58% of UK employees feel that meeting in person is important because it creates a sense of belonging to the team. In addition, 43% think it boosts productivity and creativity. The survey, which explores hybrid working patterns, is based on a sample of 1,000 UK employees who work from an office or from home.

TravelPerk’s study showed that nearly 80% (79) of UK employees are somewhat or very happy with the current work model in place at their company. In fact, of the 69% of UK employees required to go into the office a certain number of days a week or month, 42% wouldn’t change anything. This is compared to 30% who are generally happy, but wish for more flexibility, 23% who would like to go into the office less and 3% who would like to go into the office more. The survey also showed that 28% of UK employees work five days a week from the office compared to those that work four days (9%), three days (22%), two days (24%) a week or less (16%).

“Technology will never replace the magic and energy that exists when people get together in person,” said Avi Meir, CEO, TravelPerk. “That’s why so many businesses are keen to encourage workers to return to the office and why many employees are embracing it - because the meetings that matter, happen in person.”

According to the study, 46% of UK employees who are hybrid workers like this working model because they spend less time commuting, followed by 43% of respondents who prefer hybrid working models because of the balance between their job and personal life. UK employees also appreciate the hybrid working model because they are more productive (34%), like the balance of time at home and interacting with colleagues at the office (29%), find it has a positive impact on their mental and physical health (27%), and are comfortable with their workstation setup (15%). Other reasons respondents favor the hybrid working model include better communication with their team (8%) and a better relationship with their boss (7%).

“The need for in person connections is deeply rooted in who we are as human beings, and this comes through very clearly in the survey. Those in-real-life connections enable meaningful interactions, business opportunities and team success stories, which are necessary for businesses to thrive. TravelPerk exists to make that happen,” Meir concluded.

For an in-depth look, read TravelPerk’s Hybrid Work Trends study.

Additional Key Findings:

Remote and hybrid working models pre- and post-pandemic

• Pre-pandemic, a whopping 57% of UK workers worked fully from the office, whereas only 30% do so post-pandemic

• 45% of UK employees have the same working models post-pandemic as they did pre-pandemic
• Pre-pandemic, 41% of UK workers had some form of a hybrid or remote working model, whether that included some remote days, half from the office/half from home or fully remote
• Post-pandemic,
  • 70% had some form of a hybrid or remote working model, whether that included some remote days, half from the office/half from home or fully remote
  • 76% of UK workers are working fully from the office or mostly from the office whether that includes some remote days or half from the office/half from home
  • nearly 24% (23.6) of UK workers are fully remote or mostly remote

What in-person meetings are used for

• 33% of employees in the UK use their time in the office for 1-1 meetings with their manager or team, followed by 30% who use it to meet new team members
• In-person meetings are also used for brainstorming or strategy sessions (22%), social events (20%), large meetings with multiple people (16%) and workshops or skill development sessions (13%)

Methodology

OnePoll conducted an online survey on behalf of TravelPerk from February 14 to March 1, 2023 with 1,000 full-time or part-time employees, working from an office or from home, including decision makers and non-decision makers. Respondents came from organizations within sectors such as accountancy, banking & finance, retail and healthcare in the United Kingdom.