Three-in-four of London’s workers would quit instead of giving up WFH

Nearly three-quarters of London’s workers would rather quit their jobs than return to the office full-time, a survey revealed, with many demanding inflation-busting pay hikes to give up their right to flexible working.

The research by Bloomberg Intelligence found that employees in the capital are confident in their bargaining power amid a tight labor market and widespread working-from-home following the COVID-19 pandemic.

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In a survey of 500 office workers in the capital, 73 percent said they’d seek alternative employment if told to work five days a week on-site. Four in 10 of those workers would need a raise of at least 16 percent to reconsider their position.

Higher-paid staff were more likely to push for even bigger raises if told to give up home-working, BI said.

The cost of commuting was cited by over-two thirds of the workers as a key reason for not traveling into the office. Rail fares will rise by as much as 5.9 percent in England next month.

Over 95 percent of respondents said that they are allowed to work from home at least some of the time, the survey said.

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