New survey shows only 34% will return to office full time after Covid-19

The findings are "very stark".

Only 34% of workers will be returning to the office full-time after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new survey. The study, from recruitment company Sigmar and multinational professional services firm Aon, polled CEOs, human resource directors and other executives with responsibility for employees at over 250 companies in Ireland. They believe around one fifth (22%) will be working remotely full-time and that 44% of workers will do some sort of hybrid of office and home work. Some 92% of these will spend three days or less in the office. Sigmar Recruitment’s CCO Robert MacGiolla Phádraig told RTE's The Business that the survey findings are "very very stark". He said: "This is the most change we've seen in any one year and it's clear that we've now been harpooned into the future of work. "It's raised some serious fundamental questions of where, by whom and how work will get done as restrictions lift." While the last year has showed that the remote experience is working for employers and employees, the CCO stated the long term impact on employees is under question, citing the risk of "proximity bias". He explained: "We're presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to create better work for our people. "But at the same time, there's a chance and a risk that we introduce unknown biases amongst our workforce as we reconnect them over the coming weeks and months. "Fundamentally that comes down to this concept of proximity bias. Those who spend longer with management build up this management capital and therefore are more visible. "They get promoted and they get the recognition that the remote workforce might not get. We need to approach this with caution." Currently, 81% of workers are working full-time remotely, 13% are working full-time in the office and some 6% are working through a hybrid of both.