Younger workers are most likely to be in the office – but not on Fridays

Analysis shows that younger workers are the most likely to go into the office but less likely than older peers to do so on a Friday. Virgin Media O2’s business movers’ index shows that Generation Z workers – those born between 1997 and 2012 – are the most likely to prefer to work in the office, while employees in Generation X – those aged 45 to 54 – are the least likely. Meanwhile, 53% of workers aged between 18 to 24 commute five times a week or more, compared to just 39% of those aged 55 to 64 – although Generation Z workers are the least likely to commute on a Friday. Meanwhile, data from LinkedIn shows that in June, 44% of job applications on the networking site were for hybrid roles. “It’s well documented that Gen Z are strong advocates for work-life balance and have different attitudes towards work styles, but they’re not so different from the rest of the UK workforce,” Charlotte Davies, a LinkedIn career expert, said. “Our research shows that UK jobseekers say the No 1 thing they care most about in a job after compensation is flexible work, which has increased by 31% since the pandemic.”