As the 5th anniversary of this shift approaches, the legacy of this collective reimagining of the working environment remains, with 41% of Britons working from home all, or some, of the time (ONS, Sept 2024). Yet lockdown enthusiasm on the part of senior management for remote working is on the wane. A September 2024 KPMG survey revealed that 83% of UK CEOs expect a return to full-time office working within the next three years, and in May, INEOS CEO, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, joined other senior business figures by stating that staff should return to the office.

Kahoot! – the global learning and engagement platform – has commissioned the largest-ever survey into the attitudes and experiences of UK professionals working in the hybrid age.

Kahoot! commissioned OnePoll in November 2024 to survey 2,000 UK professionals engaged in hybrid working (defined as spending some working days in the office; others from home or a location of their choosing). The survey’s findings reveal that, as WFH nears its half-decade, though a desire for remote working remains amongst UK professionals (29% of 18-24-year-old respondents and 34% of 25-34 year olds saying they would be more likely to quit their jobs, should more days in the office be mandated), challenges are emerging with certain aspects of it (such as video calls), generational divides between colleagues are becoming more pronounced, and challenges around corporate security and personal wellbeing are surfacing.

Topline Findings:

• The mental and physical health impacts of WFH: 55% of UK workers suffer from ‘video call fatigue’ (with exhaustion after too many video calls experienced most acutely by Gen Z); 11% admit that WFH has increased their weekly alcohol consumption. Positively, 74% believe hybrid working has improved personal relationships, 63% believe it has had a positive impact on relationships with colleagues
• WFH Productivity drop: 46% of UK hybrid workers now believe they are more productive working in the office than working remotely. Only 23% of UK hybrid workers believe that they are more productive at home
• The new intolerant video call etiquette: 28% of UK workers are less tolerant of a colleague’s video call being crashed by children or pets than a year ago; 50% object to other video call attendees eating and drinking
• Security risks of hybrid working: 32% of UK workers have eavesdropped on a stranger’s video call (on public transport or in a cafe) seeing or hearing confidential information which could be exploited
• A growing distrust of fellow remote workers: over half of UK hybrid workers believe a colleague has faked technical issues to exit a video call; 36% think colleagues do less work at home than in the office
• “That video call could have been an email”: 87% of Brits believe a proportion of their weekly working video calls are unnecessary; over a 1/4 of Brits think that half of their weekly calls could have been resolved by email. A third of UK workers consider video calls less productive than in-person meetings, and productivity on video calls has decreased year-on-year
• WFH And the home: 27% of hybrid workers choose properties based on their potential as a video call background; 42% of UK workers blur the background due to shame about their domestic environment

Sean D'Arcy, Chief Solutions Officer at Kahoot! comments: “The study shows that a third of UK hybrid workers would quit if WFH days were reduced, underscoring the lasting impact of the remote work shift. Yet, the novelty of remote work has faded, with many employees reporting video call fatigue, productivity drops, and privacy concerns. Workers also highlight that increasing interactivity could help alleviate fatigue and make meetings more effective. Rather than forcing employees back to the office, employers should focus on improving hybrid work by optimising meetings, keeping them shorter, more purposeful, and engaging. Flexibility and collaboration remain key, and at Kahoot! we see how fostering engagement empowers hybrid teams to thrive while meeting the demands of a modern workplace.”