DASH commissioned independent research, surveying 2,013 full-time city workers earlier this month, and the data affirms the fact that the majority of working professionals also believe being in the office improves job satisfaction (72%), productivity (73%), performance and motivation (74%). The news comes as Boris Johnson scraps official Work From Home guidance and businesses contemplate the role of the office amidst the ease of full lockdown restrictions.

65% of respondents also say that being absent from the office will give them ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO) and 85% said that being physically in the office will be a positive social experience and help build connections with colleagues.

Yet time away from the office has given workers the chance to reflect on work and the impact commuting has on individual health and the health of the planet. Four in five respondents say the pandemic has made them reassess their travel footprint (why and where they travel), with a further 76% saying it has led them to look at new modes of transport – many of which they hadn’t used before. Despite 75% of UK employees more concerned about safe travel to and from the workplace than they are safety at work, only 25% of employees say their employer is actively helping them to put together a back to work travel plan.  

When workers are planning on returning to the office, their primary mode of transport would be by public transport (29%) and by either bike, e-bike or e-scooter (22%), with 80% wanting to find greener and more sustainable ways to travel that contribute more to their personal wellness and wellbeing.

Jamie Milroy, CEO of DASH Rides, comments: “Our relationship to the daily commute has irrevocably changed. Employees are increasingly calling out for new modes of travel that improves their health, wellbeing and productivity but their environmental footprint too. People are understandably concerned about the return of the commute so as businesses reimagine the office in a post-pandemic world, there’s a critical need to rethink travel to and from the office.”

The research also revealed that 82% of workers would like their employer to use COVID as a catalyst to revamp their employee benefits and perks, such as office drinks, socials, travel and cycle to work schemes. 71% feel the benefits and remunerations their company offers are outdated.

Milroy continues: “Our data clearly shows that being physically present in the office has a big impact on people’s work and wellbeing. Although technology has enabled people to adapt to new working methods during the pandemic, and many of the changes we’ve seen over the past year are set to stay, there is something about working in a shared space that cannot be replaced by working from home.

But though many are keen to return to the office, COVID-19 has also given workers a chance to reflect and we’re seeing a shift in employee expectations. Workers are prioritising the ways their employers and themselves are benefiting the wider world and there’s an increased awareness that growth and success needs to be built on sustainability.”

DASH Rides is an e-bike subscription service intent on dispelling the myth that alternative travel is prohibitively expensive or difficult to access – it costs just 88p per day for consumers to access one of its e-bikes and as little as nothing for employers.

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