Argyll data finds the return-to-office is in full swing, across all days of the week:
- 42% uptick in office attendance on Fridays
- Mondays are 37% busier
- Tuesdays have seen the biggest spike in office attendance; 45% busier in 2024 than 2023
London office attendance is up by 30% compared to last year, according to data released today by Argyll, London’s premium office provider.
Having collated year-on-year data from 6,453 office users across its 27-strong portfolio in prime London locations, Argyll found that office attendance was up across all days of the week. While Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays remain the busiest office days, there has been a 42% uptick in office attendance on Fridays compared to last year. Workers are increasingly coming back into the office at the start of the week too – Monday office occupancy was up by 37% in April 2024 compared to April 2023, in a sign that businesses may be retreating on remote working.
Buoyant office attendance is backed up by recent figures on the London office market’s leasing activity and wider occupancy figures. According to Savills, central London take-up during the final quarter of 2023 was up 22% compared to the long-time average for Q4. Meanwhile, office attendance in Land Securities’ buildings was up by 18%.
The switch away from Zoom to face-to-face meetings is also having an impact on the way the office is being used. According to Argyll’s data, demand for meeting rooms by external users rose by 13%, with businesses increasingly using high-end offices on a flexible basis as discreet networking hubs, rather than holding coffee shop meetings.
Argyll’s CEO John Drover commented: “Our data shows that the London office market is in rude health. While contracted occupancy levels have remained consistent across the last two years, the office is now being used more frequently across the week. We are seeing fixed hybrid working patterns starting to flex with businesses increasingly wanting to get maximum value from their office across the whole week. The office is there for businesses whenever they need it.”
Having previously steered the business through the dot.com crash and the Global Financial Crisis, Drover came out of retirement to oversee the business’ pandemic recovery and growth strategy. Argyll’s occupancy has now surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
