No wonder we don’t to rush back to the

FACED with a stifling commute to a city office millions no longer want to troop into work five days a week, official figures show.

And for many what was once considered a dream has in their minds become an entitlement.

Of those currently working from home, a staggering 85 per cent want to continue to do so – only going into work one or two days a week.

They say they want a better work/life balance with no stressful and expensive travelling.

However, collaborating with colleagues is more of a challenge and some employees are concerned that there are “fewer job opportunities”, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The proportion of people working from home at some point increased by 10 per cent in 2020 as Covid-19 hit. More than 37 per cent of workers worked away from the office compared to 27 per cent in 2019, according to the ONS.

Employees are now beginning to return to offices, with the number working solely from home having dropped from 37 per cent to 26 per cent since mid-February.

But the data suggests that some home working is likely to stay as employers opt for a mix.

Sarah Loates, director at Loates HR Consultancy, said: “As we emerge from the cocoon of lockdown, home working – previously a discretionary benefit – has become a right in the mind of employees.”

Nearly one in four businesses plan to increase their use of home working. In the information and communication industry the figure is 49 per cent.

People living in London were most likely to report having worked from home in the last week; it was also most common among the 30 to 49-year age group, where 45 per cent work from home.

The figures also show that 34 per cent of 16 to 29-year olds worked from home in the last seven days, and 32 per cent of 50 to 69-year olds.

Millions of people across the UK have been forced to stay at home during the pandemic in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus.Around 11.5 mil