Tuesday to Thursday is the new office working week, data suggests

A typical week in the office today runs from Tuesday to Thursday, according to a study of mobile phone activity.

Analysts Placemake.io and Visitor Insights examined anonymized phone records from more than 500 main streets in the UK from 2019 to 2022.

The study found increased activity in many suburbs and small towns, which has been linked to the work-from-home trend.

Coastal cities were significantly busier than before the Covid pandemic.

Mark Allen, chief executive of property firm LandSec, said Tuesday to Thursday is incredibly busy in the City of London, but Monday’s activity is only 50% to 60% of that level and Friday is almost as quiet as the weekend.

“We’re not going back to how things were before Covid,” he said. “We certainly believe there will be fewer people in offices in the longer term and we are planning accordingly.”

Property firm CBRE Investment Management said vacant office space in London has more than doubled in the past three years.

The company’s research director, David Inskip, warned that many office districts would struggle if only a desk and a computer were offered.

“It has to be a quality built environment that draws you in,” he said.

However, while inner cities have seen a decline, many towns and suburbs have seen an increase in high street traffic.

In Kirkby, Merseyside, footfall appears to have increased by 160% in three years, helped by local regeneration including the opening of a city center supermarket.

PlaceMake.io founder Chlump Chatkupt said, “The places that have been successful have a more balanced, diverse mix of office, residential and retail.

“Residents are spending more time at home and in their local community and are finding there is much they can do without venturing too far.”

Cities with shops, offices and homes all within walking distance – what planners call a 15-minute town – have thrived.

City centers seeing the greatest increase in activity include:

Activity also seems to have picked up in coastal towns, including Budleigh Salterton in Devon. The city, which was known as a place of rest, is attracting more and more young families.

Adam Sweet, a civil engineer who works mostly from home, said when he arrived in the city in 2016 he only knew of one family with young children in his neighborhood.

“Since then there have been 10 or 20 families in our area who have all moved in and I know a lot of people who are waiting to move to Budleigh, it’s become quite a family area,” he said, adding, “People can.” I live further away now.”

Mark Godfrey, who runs Deer Park Country House in Honiton, Devon, moved to Budleigh Salterton in 2021.

He only goes to the office twice a week.

“Once I’m done with work, it takes me seven minutes to go to the sea for a swim,” he said.

Coastal towns that have seen a large surge in traffic on the main streets include: