UK Office Attendance At Highest Levels Since Before Covid 

The number of workers in the UK who have returned to working in the office has reached its highest levels since before the pandemic. That’s according to a new report released in February 2026 by Remit Consulting. 

It found that average office attendance levels reached 44.1% in January 2026, with some areas of the UK reaching almost 70% in-person attendance. 

The ACI team is here to break down the key figures, including what the growing trend of returning to the office means for all things office design, including ensuring a quality working environment that is fit for the needs of your team.

The 2020 COVID pandemic saw a seismic shift in the approach to office work. As work from home mandates were issued here in the UK and around the globe, office buildings went from busy hives of activity to empty spaces as employees switched to working from home. 

However, as of 2026, the Remit Consulting report suggests that not only are office attendance levels past their recovery stage, they have now stabilised. 

Average office attendance levels in 2026 across the UK now look like so: 

Birmingham – 41%

Bristol – 69.2%

Cardiff – 53.7%

Edinburgh – 50.7%

Glasgow – 31.6%

Leeds – 64.6%

London – 41.5%

Manchester – 50.7%

Newcastle 39.6%

For some sectors, remote work or even a hybrid approach has proved advantageous. However, for industries such as the banking sector, returning to full-time in-person work as soon as possible was a priority. This is due to the need to support crucial aspects like in-person collaborations, confidential discussions and meetings with stakeholders. 

For employers who value in-person work, news that office attendance levels are increasing is encouraging. But it also remains the case that the idea of working in an office, either part of the time or full time can still be met by resistance. 

Thankfully, when office attendance levels are low, there are strategies that can work to change the perception of the office from a design perspective to increase attendance rates. 

Better still, making the office a more attractive place to spend time can also deliver a healthy return on investment through aspects such as improved productivity, engagement and retention. 

This next section has been put together by our UK office designers. It is designed to help: 

There are lots of reasons why working in an office is still met with resistance. While living too far from the office is one factor, it’s also true that offices of the past often represented rigid environments. In turn, the idea of returning to work in one can seem like a poor fit for how work is now done.

Thankfully, things have changed. What we now know is that there are links between high stress and things such as reduced productivity, as well as increased absenteeism and eventually, employee turnover. Modern office design factors in wellbeing to reduce these factors, plus others which once made the office an unattractive place to be. 

To get staff back into your office in 2026 and beyond, it must be a place that is geared towards how your people want to work in the present day. For employees who don’t live near your office, coming into work shouldn’t just be about tapping on a keyboard as they could be doing at home or even at a coffee shop. Instead, the office environment in terms of what it can offer to the workday must be worth the commute. 

Every business has a unique culture, meaning there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to modern office design. But it is important to determine if your current office space meets the needs of your business, industry and ultimately, your people. 

Working from home is often seen as a luxury. However, this isn’t the case for every employee. That’s because not every home environment supports productivity and creativity. 

As we all know, some of the top drawbacks of working from home can include: 

If an employee doesn’t have a quality space to work from, this can actually be stressful especially if it impacts their work performance. 

Given offices are commercial spaces, there is often far more that can be done to improve an office environment to ensure it’s a productive and professional space, compared to how feasible it is to adapt a home environment so that it’s geared towards office work. 

For instance, in an office, dedicated meeting rooms can create a space for confidential discussions to take place. Office partitions can be used to improve privacy or allow for quiet, focused work. Similarly, breakout spaces are perfect for productive in-person collaborations to take place.  

Even if an employee does have what they need at home to work productivity, the one thing that cannot be fully replicated outside of the office is brand culture. 

The term ‘brand culture’ can be interpreted in lots of ways. But as office designers, what brand culture means to us is whether or not people feel inspired and ultimately motivated in their working environment. 

More than just adding your logo to any office signage, brand culture gives businesses endless opportunities to build engaged and motivated teams. That is, if it’s done right! 

As office designers, some of our top ideas for infusing brand culture into your office space include:

Reflect your company’s history: Timelines, archive photography and founder stories displayed throughout the space give employees a sense of heritage and pride in where the business has come from.

Make values tangible: Ditch printing values on a wall. Instead, design spaces and rituals around them. A business that values collaboration should have spaces that make connecting with colleagues easy and enjoyable.

Celebrate the team: Offices should feel personable to the people who spend their time working in them. Displaying staff photographs, team milestones and employee achievements makes people feel like part of the brand story rather than just workers within it.

Design for inclusivity: A business culture that genuinely values every employee should be reflected in spaces that are accessible, comfortable and welcoming to people of all backgrounds and working styles.

Let staff have a say: If you want your employees to want to work in the office, then it pays to get their thoughts. Involving employees in design decisions, from colour choices to naming meeting rooms, builds genuine ownership of the space and the culture it represents.

Psst: Like the above image? It was created by the ACI team as part of our office refurbishment services! Please contact us if you’d like us to create a similar on-brand experience room for your UK office.

Another way to encourage workers back to the office is to ensure that their setup supports their physical health. Unfortunately, offices of the past often didn’t go far enough in providing comfortable, ergonomic office furniture. 

This meant the desk represented a static work environment in which poor posture, not to mention all of the physical and mental health impacts associated with a sedentary lifestyle were more likely to occur.

In today’s office environment, employers recognise the huge benefits that ergonomics, and an approach to wellbeing in the office can have. For instance, Techsit reports that ergonomic chairs can boost productivity by up to 40%. They can also reduce error rates by 56%.

Improve ergonomics in your office by doing any of the following:

Did you know?: At ACI, we can supply ergonomic office furniture to support the needs of your team. 

Your people come into the office to work. However, the quality of that work relies on the office giving them everything they need to work smartly and efficiently. 

The specifics of what your team need to connect with each other and external clients or customers can look different for every industry.

But ideas of modern tech capabilities that can hugely benefit an office include:

Ultimately, when the tech capabilities of your office far surpass what can be found at home or in a coffee shop, the benefits of a professional environment aren’t just clear to employees, they also become highly desirable. 

Speaking of coffee, there is a good chance your employees enjoy their morning brew, not to mention a well deserved tea break. 

Opportunities for coffee, plus other forms of networking and relaxation can be added to the office in the form of hospitality-inspired amenities.

Depending on your industry and budget, ideas for workplace amenities include: 

Workplace amenities aren’t just a novelty. When done well, employee amenities demonstrate to employees that the company values their wellbeing and social experience, rather than just their output. 

In turn, amenities can provide opportunities to decompress, have informal conversations and strengthen workplace relationships. All of which can then positively reflect back on the business itself. 

Now that returning to the office has reached its highest levels, ACI can support your team with in-person work through our office design services. 

Whether your business adopts a fully in-office or a hybrid working approach, having a professional office space to support your team when they do meet in person is a highly valuable asset for any business.

ACI provides office design, meeting room design and fit-out services across the UK. We’re headquartered in Nottingham, but we also work in locations such as Birmingham, Derby, Leicester, London and Manchester.

Let us know how we can transform your office by getting in touch. You can also give us a call on 0115 939 7572.