BUSINESSES could see an almost £220 million boost as workers return to the office, according to a recent study.

Research by Frank Recruitment Group found that if Brighton and Hove workers head into the office just two days a week, they will spend up to £1,348.80 each over the course of a year, offering a huge potential windfall for businesses that have struggled during the pandemic.

Zoë Morris, president at Frank Recruitment Group, said that a huge range of businesses look set to benefit as workers return to the office after the easing of coronavirus restrictions.

She said: "Even further beyond the 9-5 are the people working to get us into our cities, serving us post-work drinks and meals - there's an entire support network around the desk-based workforce that we don't often think of."

The research analysed the number of workers in the city, alongside the average price of a morning coffee and lunch, as well as the daily commute, which totalled to an average spend per worker of £14.05 each day.

Ms Morris said that the success of remote working over the last two years means that workers may not return back to offices on a full-time basis.

She said: "I think most people are looking forward to having the option to be together in person again.

"Remote work isn't for everybody, so having a hybrid approach offers the opportunity for employees to get a better work-life balance than has ever been possible before."

Figures from the Office for National Statistics found that 85 per cent of homeworking Britons want their employer to offer hybrid options for going back into the office.

With energy costs on the rise, Ms Morris said that returning to the office offers the potential for workers to save on utility bills incurred from working from home.

She said: "The savings we make on electricity bills at home can be spent on things that make our daily lives better.

"From a takeout coffee on the way to the office to treating ourselves at lunch, that spend has a fantastic impact on city centre economies, which have really struggled to adapt to the challenges of the last two years."

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