Getting London Back to Work

Over the last few days there has been significant debate about how the return to work will work in practice, especially in London where most people commute using public transport.

In our recent “Getting Britain Back to Work” survey, conducted by Opinium, we have found that Londoners are feeling the strain of the lockdown. Headline figures include:

– London is experiencing the most disruption with 60% working from home vs 40% rest of UK
– Londoners who are not ready to return are far more likely to be fearful of the virus when commuting* (67% London vs 39% national average)
– Londoners who want to go back to work are far more likely to mention stress working at home (1 in 5 London vs 1 in 8 nationally)
– There is heightened concerns around job security among Londoners. Fears of redundancy, pay cuts and business closure are clearly higher in London than elsewhere

*(for trains/tubes only it’s 77% London vs 71% nationally or 67% rest of UK)

You can read more about the how Londoners feel about returning to their place of work here:

If you have any questions about the Getting Britain Back to Work research please contact Scott McKenzie (mckenzie@montfort.london), or James Olley (jolley@montfort.london).

Getting Britain Back to Work Survey

70% of workers say UK will suffer long-term damage without imminent return to work according to poll

Workforce ready to return to work as soon as possible
1 in 3 UK workers believe pay cuts likely
15% of UK workers believe their businesses may have to close permanently

In-depth: What do British workers think about going back to their workplace?

Montfort Communications has commissioned Opinium to conduct research into how UK workers feel about going back to their place of work in light of Covid-19. The research was conducted on 1-4 May 2020 and included interviews with 4,000 workers from across the UK.

Preparing for the post COVID-19 return to the workplace

Following Boris Johnson’s speech to the nation on Sunday night we are entering a new phase in the fight against Covid-19. The data now shows we are past the peak of the epidemic here in the UK. The debate has shifted towards the return to work. Montfort has commissioned its own research “Getting Britain Back to Work” (conducted by Opinium) which shows almost half of those not in their usual workplace (45%) are ready to return to work, with only 28% not ready. If social distancing measures are implemented, there is majority support for a range of workplaces to start opening again imminently, including Factories (62%) and Offices (57%).