Three days spent in the office surpasses two days in the office, a first for Dublin businesses.

One-in-three businesses (32%) report that their employees are in the office three days a week, up from 27% in Q3 2023 and up from 22% from Q4 2022. While only 22% of employees are spending two days in the office, a notable decrease from 27% and 28% in Q4 2022 and Q3 2023 respectively.

Dublin Chamber’s latest Business Outlook Survey, delivers a report that analyses hybrid and remote working trends, as well as factors impacting election priorities such as commercial rates, transport and sustainability.

Highlight findings for hybrid working include:

• There has been a consistent increase in companies implementing core days in the office, rising from 21% in Q4 2022 to 27% in Q3 2023 and reaching 39% in Q2 2024.
•  ‘Midweek days’ (Tuesday to Thursday) have shown a clear upward trend in office capacity since 2023, with an average increase of 18 percentage points for each day.

Aebhric McGibney, Director of Public and International Affairs, commented, “these shifts indicate a clear trend towards more frequent in-office presence. This aligns with anecdotal conservations heard within Dublin Chamber’s roundtable discussions.”

While the growing preference for increased office presence is evident, it is also important to note the sustained interest in workplace flexibility. This quarter, over one third of businesses are offering total flexibility to staff.

“From these findings, we can see that most Dublin businesses are utilising the hybrid work model. Employers recognise the need for greater flexibility in working schedules to attract a wider pool of employees, including those living further away from their workplaces due to the lack of affordable housing in the City. Employers also demonstrate a preference for having core days in place, providing a more structured framework to the working week and safeguarding work culture.” McGibney added.