A woman with her hands over her head and an office scene behind her.
Only a quarter of people noticed a change in their office layout since before the pandemic (Picture: Getty)

Workers returning to the office after more than a year at home during the coronavirus pandemic are struggling to cope with noise, a new study claims.

It is among a number of issues that has a left a majority ‘frustrated’, the research says.

The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management asked 2,000 adults who had worked from home during the Covid crisis about their experience, with a majority indicating that most of them have now gone back to offices at least once.

But many have struggled to adjust to the new realities of office life, from background noise to inadequate video conferencing facilities. 

Only a quarter (26%) noticed any changes to their office layout when they returned.

Seven in 10 home workers in the West Midlands, Northern Ireland and London have returned at least temporarily to the office, compared to half in the South West, Wales and North West, the report said.

It added that Scottish workers are the least likely to have tried to return.
Half of respondents believed they are more productive working from home, especially among younger workers.

Linda Hausmanis, chief executive of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management, said: ‘We are now at a tipping point, where the majority of us have had the chance to sample working from the office once again.

‘For far too many this has been a disappointing and frustrating experience. Employers must invest to allow workplaces to reflect new working realities, or risk a calamitous decline in productivity.

‘As we move into new modes of working, businesses must adapt physical spaces, working culture and supporting technologies.’

Almost one in three said they no longer felt comfortable sharing a desk with a colleague.

Elsewhere, seven out of 10 returning workers said they struggled to identify any changes compared with before the pandemic, and half felt their office needed modernisation.

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