New Delhi: Lifts, which are merely a means of moving between floors, are now offering a unique insight into how London workers are returning to the office faster than their European counterparts since the pandemic.
According to KONE, a Finnish-elevator company, shows that London’s workers are heading back to the office faster than before. KONE monitored more than one billion lift journeys in 10 cities across seven countries over the past five years to gather the data.
The work-from-home trend forced due to the Covid-19 pandemic is clearly reversing in London. England’s capital was one of only two cities—other than Paris—where year-on-year growth in lift use accelerated in 2025 compared to 2024.
Lift usage in London in January was 11 per cent higher than in January last year. In fact, every month of 2025 recorded year-on-year growth compared to the same month in 2024, the data shows. This indicates that lift usage has increased and that people are gradually leaving their homes and returning to offices.
In contrast, Paris saw a more modest increase of just 8 per cent. The city is witnessing a year-on-year growth in lift use. While lift usage and demand for prime office space remain strong in these two cities, the situation is different in other European cities.
Frankfurt in Germany recorded 6 per cent fewer lift journeys this year compared to last year. Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Barcelona in Spain, and Berlin in Germany showed similar declines, indicating reduced use of lifts in workplaces. Frankfurt, which was once considered a rival to other major European financial centres, saw a 6 per cent drop in lift journeys this year compared to last year.
The data published in an article by The Times triggered a wide range of reactions on social media. Some users argued that the trend should be described as “back to office” rather than “back to work,” criticising it as a drain on manpower and a waste of time due to long commutes, favouring the concept of work from home.
Also read: What’s the story behind Dhurandhar 2’s CBFC approval? 21 edits, preview delays, and more
Other findings
Further data from property consultancy firm Knight Frank supports the conclusions drawn from lift usage figures. It shows that out of 98 major office deals in Central London last year, 70 deals—each involving more than 20,000 square feet—were driven by companies expanding their office space. Only seven companies downsized from larger to smaller spaces.
This also suggests that although working from home became a popular practice during the pandemic and continued in many companies, over time, returning to the office becomes necessary, and companies eventually make that decision.
At the same time, as companies continue to expand their office footprints, the prices of the commercial or “prime” spaces have surged.
Last year, a record 170 deals were signed at rents exceeding £100 per square foot. In 2025, rents for premium spaces in London rose by around 8 per cent, while in the West End, the increase was more than 15 per cent.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)