Anonymous connection data captured by the O2 mobile network suggests commuter numbers in London have now returned to as much as 72 percent of what they were pre-pandemic.
Thursday has emerged as the most popular commuter day in recent months, and on Thursday 24 March crowd volumes in the City of London were up 24 percent compared to Thursday 27 January, when work from home guidance was lifted in England.
The ‘Employee Transfer Window’
Today marks the opening of the 2022 ‘Employee Transfer Window’, with more than half (53%) of UK office workers considering leaving their job – and 85 percent of these keen to leave in the next 12 weeks, according to a new survey from Virgin Media O2 Business.
Flexibility, work/life balance and salary all emerged as key drivers in the survey of 2,000 UK office workers, which found that a quarter (27%) are actively looking for a new job.
A third (31%) of those considering a move would like to leave in the next three weeks alone, with 17 percent wanting to leave within a week.
What is contributing to the ‘Employee Transfer Window?’
Several factors gave promoted the ‘Employee Transfer Window’.
One in seven (14%) would like to delay their resignation to coincide with a new financial year, over one in ten (12%) have been holding out for their 2021 bonus to arrive.
Just under one in six (16%) have been waiting for uncertainty around the pandemic to settle down before changing jobs.
The survey also revealed that 44 percent feel more positive about their career prospects now than they did pre-pandemic.
Two years on from the first lockdown, pandemic working has also played a role in shaping the Employee Transfer Window, with 16 percent saying the pandemic has made them rethink their working priorities, and 14 percent saying they’re unhappy with how their job has changed as a result.
As hybrid working continues across the UK, four in ten (44%) of those surveyed said they felt flexibility was as important as salary.
Millennials aged between 25 and 34 are the most likely to depart during the 2022 Employee Transfer Window, with almost one in three (30%) actively looking for a new role. This compares to just one in eight (13%) of those aged 55 and over.
What are the implications of this?
Managing Director at Virgin Media O2 Business, Jo Bertram, says: “A new financial year, coupled with a new – hybrid – normal after two years of flux, has created an ‘Employee Transfer Window’ that will see more than half of the UK’s office workers look to change roles in the coming weeks. We know that tech can help make many of the changes employees want: from connecting them to training, upskilling and mentor programmes, to giving them more choice about when, how and where they work.
“When it comes to recruitment and retention, tech is a great enabler. At Virgin Media O2 Business we’re working with our customers to explore exactly how fixed and mobile connectivity and digital workplace tools can build better ways of working for everyone.”
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
