Working from roam: more staff logging on from UK airports and rail stations
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Birmingham airport and Liverpool Street station are among hubs where visits are up, says office provider. After working from home, now comes working on the go. The post-pandemic surge in hybrid working has prompted increasing numbers of professionals to carry out some work while on the move, logging in from airports and railway stations across the UK, according to research.
Footfall at transport hub-based workspaces has soared by 31% on average since 2022, according to figures from International Workplace Group (IWG), one of the world’s largest providers of serviced offices, whose brands include Regus. Its facility at Birmingham airport, in a building next to the terminal, is among the busiest perches for workers in transit, IWG found, with visits rising by nearly two-thirds (65%), according to the data, which is measured through wifi log-ins across all IWG centres.
There was also growth in footfall at Southampton airport, which had a 39% increase, followed by Britain’s busiest railway station, London’s Liverpool Street (36%), and Paddington station (31%). Workspace visits also increased at Farnborough airport in Hampshire, which is the UK’s busiest private jet airfield, as well as the London stations Blackfriars and King’s Cross St Pancras.
While it has been common for some time to see professionals working from laptops while on trains and planes, IWG believes the increase in visitors to its offices at transport hubs demonstrates workers’ desire to tick off tasks while waiting to board a flight or train, making use of time that otherwise may be unproductive.
