Workers predict end of the five-day week

More than half of workers have said they never expect to return to a five-day working week in the office.

A n ew re p o rt c a l l e d "L o c kd o w n L e s s o n s" by broadband provider TalkTalk also found that 58% of home workers said they felt more productive as a result of working from home during the pandemic.

Bosses agreed, with 30% of business leaders sayi n g th e c h a n ge s had seen a boost in productivity and 35% said the moves had also seen more collaboration.

T h e n ew wo rk i n g a r - rangements for millions of office workers also found that – with the commute being removed – many have the time to learning a new skill or hobby.

Around 40% of those surveyed said they had watched an online educational video during lockdown and 16% enrolled in an online learning course.

T h e c o m pa ny i s h o p - ing the increase in workfrom-home staff will lead to demand for more reliable internet and has launched a new service for companies willing to install faster connections in workers' homes. Catherine Barnard, f ro m c o n su l ta n c y Working The Future, which analysed the data for Ta l k Ta l k , s a i d : "A future where a four-day work week is the norm could be a lot closer than people think. If someone can do their work in four days rather than five as a result of flexible working hours, it stands to reason that they can use the fifth day to further improve skills that complement their role.

"The challenge is to move on from from a 'one-sizefits-all' approach to employment."