Nearly two thirds of bosses predict return to office within three years

The survey found that 73% of global chief executives have confidence in the global economic outlook for the next three years.

Many people are still working flexibly after switching to home working during the pandemic (Alamy/PA)

A little under two thirds of chief executives in the UK and around the world think that people will have returned to the office by 2026, a new survey has suggested.

A poll of 1,325 bosses, 150 of whom are in the UK, found that 64% predict a full return to in-office working within the next three years.

It is a small decrease from the 65% who said the same in consultancy KPMG’s annual survey last year.

But Jon Holt, chief executive of KPMG in the UK, warned companies that to attract good workers they might have to offer some kind of hybrid model in the future.

Some sort of hybrid working is likely to remain a useful way to attract and retain the good people the CEOs know their business needs

Jon Holt, chief executive of KPMG in the UK

“This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. And issuing an “all hands on deck” edict is a simple response to a complex issue – it won’t work for all businesses,” said Mr Holt.

“Some sort of hybrid working is likely to remain a useful way to attract and retain the good people the CEOs know their business needs.

“Having the right employee value proposition to attract and retain talent is near the top of the priority list for CEOs in our survey.”

He said that this is particularly the case for younger staff members who came into the workforce during Covid and are facing pressures from the cost-of-living crisis more than some of their better-paid colleagues.

“As leaders, we have a duty to nurture and support their careers and wellbeing. And spending at least some of their time in the office is likely to be good for those younger colleagues,” he said.

The survey found that 73% of global chief executives have confidence in the global economic outlook for the next three years. That is up from 71% a year earlier. In the UK the same figure has decreased from 79% to 77%.

The survey was conducted between August 15 and September 15. The chief executives came from 11 countries and the companies they run all had at least 500 million (£412 million) in annual revenues.