WORKERS want the "best of all worlds" by splitting their week between home and the office as a result of the virus crisis, new research suggests.
A study by insurance giant Zurich among its 4,500 employees found that two out of three would like to work from home for more than half of the week.
Of these, a third only want to go into the office one day a week.
The company announced that it is offering its employees a "fully flexible" option on where they work.
Before the lockdown, three out of four Zurich employees already enjoyed some form of flexible working, with many working from home for one or two days a week.
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Steve Collinson, HR director at Zurich UK, said: "Whilst there's no silver bullet for how and where people work, we know they want the flexibility to work the hours that suit.
"Our research has shown us that not everyone wants to work from home five days a week forever. In effect, they want the best of all worlds, which is perfectly fine.
"As an early adopter of flexible working, we're in a very different space to the majority of businesses. Our lockdown transition was seamless, so allowing people further freedom to revisit where they want to work is a natural next step in our journey.
"The world has changed this year and we can't ignore it. We've all had a chance to re-evaluate our lives and reassess our priorities.
"Just by giving employees the chance to work from home one day a week for example, we would save them thousands of hours' commuting that could be spent exercising, meditating, having breakfast with their families, or simply catching up on home admin.
"This is valuable time that we're effectively giving back to people. This time could improve the quality of their lives immeasurably - in return we get a far happier and more productive employee."
The study also revealed that one in four Zurich employees cannot wait to get back to the office, partly because they miss seeing their colleagues.
Many respondents wanting to return to offices live with people other than family members, or live alone.
