Most UK employees may never go back to the office

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Huawei survey finds many workers want a flexible future

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The majority of office workers are preparing themselves to never go back to the office full time as the effects of the global pandemic continue to be felt.

With millions of workers around the world forced to work remotely due to offices being closed, many have now found they prefer a more flexible approach to their workplace environment.

This has led to a majority of those who would previously have worked in an office to declare in a new survey by Huawei that they would prefer continue working from home for the foreseeable future.

Working from home

Huawei's study, which quizzed 2000 British adults, found that the majority (88%) of desk-based workers want to continue working from home at least part of the week. More than half of those (60%) said that they would want to work remotely three days or more, potentially meaning big changes for their employers.

Technology was heralded as the great enabler for this switch to the new way of working, with almost nine in ten (87%) workers saying this was the key to working from anywhere. Fast broadband (76%), reliability (62%) and long battery life (42%) were named as the features most needed from tech devices, including laptops and phones, to make remote working as effective as possible. 

Almost nine in ten (87%) added that they believed video conferencing calls are just as effective as in-person meetings, meaning the office catch-up could soon be a thing of the past.

“As the world moves to new ways of working, technology has undoubtedly smoothed the transition, helping many people adapt to remote working and to shape a future of increased flexibility," said Anson Zhang, Managing Director of Huawei’s UK Consumer Business Group.

"Now more than ever, consumers need to be supported with technology that helps them get the most out of their day, with laptops and connected device ecosystems that let us work however we want."

Mike Moore
Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.