Nearly 60% of Gen Z workers in Cardiff would opt for office working over working from home

As the UK workforce continues to experience the biggest shift in working patterns since the industrial revolution, a survey comissioned by flexible workspace provider, Clockwise, has found that the majority of younger workers actively prefer working from an office.

Clockwise Cardiff launched its city centre space in September 2020 and has seen an incredible 100% occupancy rate, despite the pandemic and multiple lockdowns. The company is now set to expand its Cardiff offering with the next phase of its development at Brunel House, taking over the seventh floor with over 13,000sqft of beautifully designed flexible workspace.

Clockwise Cardiff offers a flexible, low commitment solution for businesses and individuals looking for new ways of working. Comprising shared workspace, private offices and meeting rooms, Clockwise currently spans over 10,000sqft of Cardiff’s landmark building, Brunel House, located in the city centre. A second phase, due to launch in spring 2022, will more than double the total amount of Clockwise space.

The Clockwise model has already proved popular in Cardiff with both established and start-up smaller businesses filling the offices. The second phase will offer the same flexible benefits to businesses that have already scaled, or are growing fast, as the offices available are suitable for bigger companies. There is already a waiting list in anticipation of its launch.

Clockwise Cardiff currently has a millennial majority membership with more and more Gen Zs joining the workforce. The survey, commissioned by Clockwise and carried out by Censuswide, backs up this trend, revealing that it is Gen Z workers (those born after 1997) who are the keenest to return to an office environment.

Working from home has led to almost 40 percent of Cardiff professionals finding it hard to differentiate between their personal and working time, while around 30 percent feel disconnected from their industry and colleagues. Over two thirds of office workers in Cardiff surveyed (69.23 per cent) agreed that their productivity and wellbeing in the workplace is influenced by their surroundings.

Speaking about the success of the Clockwise space in Cardiff, Clockwise Chief Operating Officer, Alexandra Brunner said: “Despite launching in the midst of Covid 19 and against a backdrop that continues to be challenging with some restrictions still in place, our Cardiff offices have seen unprecedented occupancy rates.

“In these uncertain times, our fully serviced offering provides greater flexibility than traditional office leases and are a timely solution for businesses in South Wales, both those who are scaling and those who have scaled looking for a home for work. The research we’ve undertaken supports the trend we’ve seen for younger workers to return to the office environment and we’re building a meaningful community here in Cardiff.

Alexandra continued “We’re seeing trends across the UK that suggests businesses will look for spaces closer to home, with greater flexibility and a focus on wellbeing.”

Clockwise Cardiff acting general manager Katie May said: “We’ve seen how the office means so much more to people than bricks and mortar, for our young community here in Cardiff it’s a place to bring to life a company culture, a mission and a vision. We’re really excited to show off the next phase of our development in Cardiff and offer businesses of all sizes a slice of the Clockwise way of working.”