In 2020 the working week as we knew it changed forever. As stay home policies were put in place, businesses pivoted to adapt to a ‘new normal’ way of working remotely. As we reach five years since the start of the UK lockdown, we wanted to look at how working patterns and habits have changed.
How common is WFH in 2025?
According to data* fully remote work is on the decline. June 2020 saw a peak in the number of home-based workers, as 38% of UK workers worked from home. This has dropped to 16% of workers working fully remote as of January 2025.
Hybrid working is proving more popular, although it has seen a decrease in the past few years. Hybrid workers made up 31% of workers in November 2023, this is now 25% as of January 2025. Since 2013, the number of UK employees eligible for flextime has grown from 3.2 million to approximately 4.2 million by 2024.
The number of workers who commuted to their place of work reached a peak of 60% in March 2022, but this too has dipped and the number of commuter workers is at 41% as of January 2025.
What days are employees most likely to attend their workplace?
As hybrid working becomes one of the most common working patterns, it appears employees are being flexible with the days they allow employees to attend the office. Some employers allow staff to choose their office days for themselves, whilst others have rotas and set days to ensure their teams attend on the same days.
ONS data shows some interesting habits on the most common days for workers to come into their office or workplace, with Tuesday being the least popular day for staff to come into work. It appears workplaces may be mandating Mondays as non-negotiable when it comes to onsite attendance, although there are still more employees working from home on a Monday than not, potentially ending the weekend watercooler catch-ups that many offices have come to adopt.
Distribution of days worked from home over a week (ONS):
Monday: 58%
Tuesday: 67%
Wednesday: 64%
Thursday: 63%
Friday: 65%
Saturday: 6%
Sunday: 7%
Who is most likely to work flexibly?
ONS data has revealed the regions of the UK where home-working is most common, with the South East and London topping the list. There is a clear north/south divide, as northern workers are less likely to work remotely than their southern counterparts. This could be due to job opportunities, certain industries being based down south or high living costs, all of which can affect the availability of remote jobs.
Remote working by region
| Region | % of workers who work remotely some or all of the time |
| South East | 35% |
| London | 30% |
| South West | 28% |
| East of England | 27% |
| Scotland | 26% |
| North West | 25% |
| West Midlands | 24% |
| Yorkshire % the Humber | 23% |
| East Midlands | 22% |
| Wales | 21% |
| Northern Ireland | 20% |
| North East | 19% |
There is also an interesting divide when you look at UK age groups’ working patterns. Over 65s are the group most likely to work fully remote from home, with 16-24 year olds being the least likely.35-44 year olds are the most likely to benefit from hybrid working, with 16-24 year olds being the least likely group to have this working pattern. Fully onsite workers were most common amongst those aged 16-24 years old, as 35-44 year olds were the least likely to work full time onsite. The stats correlate to working age parents, as UK workers are having children later into their 30s, it makes sense more people in this age group would be adopting hybrid and more flexible working patterns.
Working patterns by age group, UK ONS data
| Working pattern | 16 to 24 | 25 to 34 | 35 to 44 | 45 to 54 | 55 to 64 | 65 and over |
| Homeworking only | 6% | 17% | 17% | 18% | 16% | 24% |
| Hybrid working | 15% | 30% | 35% | 30% | 22% | 17% |
| Travelled to work only, can homework | 14% | 8% | 10% | 9% | 10% | 11% |
| Travelled to work only, cannot homework | 65% | 44% | 38% | 42% | 53% | 47% |
Shane Duffy, MD of Click Offices commented: “The data shows a lot has changed since 2020, as we see a shift from home working back to reliance on offices and onsite workplaces, whether this is full time or hybrid working. Having access to offices can promote cross-collaboration, encourage upskilling of junior employees and allow teams to bond better in person. That said, there are certainly benefits from home working. What is important is to offer employees flexibility to get the best balance for your team.”
Office brokers across the UK and Ireland, Click Offices analysed ONS data, Statista data and other sources to put together an overview of the state of flexible working in 2025.
https://www.clickoffices.com/serviced-offices/ireland/
*Data from Statista
