Nearly three-quarters of London’s workers would rather quit their jobs than return to the office full-time, a survey revealed, with many demanding inflation-busting pay hikes to give up their right to flexible working.

The research by Bloomberg Intelligence found that employees in the capital are confident in their bargaining power amid a tight labour market and widespread working-from-home following the Covid pandemic.

In a survey of 500 office workers in the capital, 73% said they’d seek alternative employment if told to work five days a week on-site. Four in 10 of those workers would need a raise of at least 16% to reconsider their position.

Higher-paid staff were more likely to push for even bigger raises if told to give up home-working, BI said.

The cost of commuting was cited by over-two thirds of the workers as a key reason for not traveling into the office. Rail fares will rise by as much as 5.9% in England next month.

Over 95% of respondents said that they are allowed to work from home at least some of the time, the survey said.

 - Bloomberg