Organisations returning staff to the workplace are 9 times more likely to plan a Christmas party.

The findings of the second Executive PA Media "Back to Work" survey identify increased business confidence from June to July

Business confidence in organisations that have started the return of their employees back to the workplace and are working to a timetable, is far higher than those with staff still working remotely, suggests the findings of a survey to executive assistants.

In the second Executive PA Media “Back to Work” survey, just 4% of respondents in businesses that have not yet started to return staff to the workplace, definitively answered that they are planning a Christmas party. The likelihood jumps to 30% with respondents from organisations that have begun the process, and increases to over a third (35%) from those in businesses with a schedule to bring everyone back. Furthermore, when those who answered ‘unsure’ are discounted, the likelihood jumps to 8 out of ten of these businesses planning for a Christmas party.

When EAs were asked “How likely that any staff will attend a conference in the next 12 months?”, the response went from just 9% of EAs from businesses still working remotely, to sixty seven percent of those whose organisations are returning staff and working to a timetable.

This second survey took place in July and nearly three quarters of the respondents said that their businesses have started the process of returning staff, compared to just under half in the June survey.

Executive PA Media Chairman Russell Peacock said. “Its becoming clear that businesses that are bringing their teams back and can provide a pathway to do that, are enjoying far higher levels of optimism and business confidence.”

The report for the second survey will soon be published and the third & final survey will take place in September