Office Mondays resurge as hybrid work evolves: Bevi report

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES —  Professionals are increasingly returning to the office on Mondays, according to a new research by Bevi, a water cooler company.

“Although hybrid work has taken root, in 2024 it is gradually resembling more and more of a 5-day work week, with attendance increasing on Mondays and Fridays relative to 2023 (though still comparatively light on those days relative to 2019),” the report said.

Bevi examined usage data from its machines, which are present in thousands of offices across all 50 states.

Monday office attendance on the rise

According to data from Bevi, Monday office attendance has risen by 8% since last year and is now at 58% of pre-pandemic levels. 

Tuesdays through Thursdays are nearly back to normal, with offices running at almost 75% of their pre-pandemic capacity. 

Although Fridays are still the quietest day, office attendance has also seen a slight uptick, rising to 47% of pre-pandemic levels from 44%.

These shifts aren’t just affecting the office landscape. The world’s largest food catering firm, Compass Group, reported increased revenues due to more workers buying lunch on-site on Mondays, equaling Thursday’s activity in office canteens in the U.S. and Britain.

Flexible hours replace traditional 9-to-5 workday

Despite the increase in office attendance, the traditional 9-to-5 workday appears to be a thing of the past. Employees are commuting fewer days per week than before the pandemic and are working longer, non-standard hours when they do come in.

“In 2023, we had assumed we were finally near an equilibrium in hybrid work, with people coming to the office ~2.7 days per week, but in fact, we’ve seen workplace attendance increase even more in 2024, to an average of over 3.0 days per week (and still climbing),” the Bevi report said.

In 2019, 87% of office attendance occurred during standard 9-to-5 work hours. This year, that figure has dropped to 80%, with off-peak attendance rising to 20%.

Corporate mandates shaping hybrid work policies

The surge in Monday office attendance is partly due to businesses becoming more specific about which days they want employees present. 

Some influential companies are using their hybrid policies to discourage long weekends at home. L’Oréal now requires its 88,000 employees to be in the office on Fridays instead of Wednesdays. Publicis Groupe has mandated Mondays in the office, while Deutsche Bank has banned staff from working at home on Fridays and Mondays.