Half of Brighton workers do not want to go back to the office, survey finds

A survey conducted by chartered accountancy and consulting firm Theta Financial Reporting asked 2,000 adults across the UK their thoughts and feelings on going back to work post-lockdown, and what it is they are returning to.

According to the survey, 80 per cent of Brighton’s workers do not feel comfortable commuting to work via public transport anymore and think it will be one of the most stressful parts of their day.

The survey also said 21 per cent of workers in Brighton say their company will return to the office with a smaller team with people handling more varied responsibilities.

Over half – 54 per cent – of business leaders in Brighton say they see the working environment changing for the better due to the impact of covid-19, according to the findings.

Data concluded 25 per cent of Brighton’s business leaders say they have streamlined their team permanently because of the covid-19 crisis as they discovered some roles were surplus to requirements

A quarter – 25 per cent – of Brighton-based workers say their company’s finance teams will not be returning to the office with other employees in August and will now work at home for the majority of the time, according to the survey.

Thirty-nine per cent of Brighton workers say going back to work in a traditional office environment will have a negative impact on their mental health, which in turn will negatively affect their productivity, the findings revealed.

Six per cent of workers in Brighton, according to the survey, say their employer has not explored any flexible working options to help them or their colleagues return to work.

And, the data revealed, 16 per cent of Brighton-based workers say their business will no longer be in a permanent office when they return to full-time work.

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