New data reveals ‘great office divide’ in hybrid work

A new report from Virgin Media O2 reveals that hybrid working is creating a generational divide in commuting habits.

While younger employees are increasingly returning to the office, mid- and late-career workers are opting to stay home more often, a trend that is reshaping daily life across the UK.

According to anonymised mobile data from the telecommunications company, overall commuting is still down by 2% compared to last year, solidifying the shift towards a more flexible working model. However, a closer examination of the data reveals significant differences between age groups.

After a sharp decline at the end of last year, the report found that commutes for the 18-24 year age group rebounded strongly in early 2025 with this age group now making 8% more trips to the office year-on-year.

Older workers embrace flexibility

In contrast, mid-career professionals are leading the charge for increased flexibility. Commutes for 25- to 34-year-olds dropped by 10% in the second quarter of 2025, and those for 35- to 44-year-olds fell by 5%.

This suggests that people in these age brackets are most likely to switch between working from home and the office, demonstrating the sharpest swings in their hybrid schedules. One likely reason in these age groups is the flexibility required when bringing up children. 

However, the trend of staying away from the office extends to late-career workers as well. Those aged 45 to 54 are travelling 5% less than they were last year, while those over 65 have seen a further 5% fall in regular commuting, indicating a slow but steady decline in their trips to the office.

Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2, noted that this data shows that commuting is “no longer one-size-fits-all.” The findings underscore how hybrid work is fundamentally altering how and where people choose to work and live, with technology providing the connectivity needed to support these new routines.