Much has been said about workers quitting their jobs if their employers refuse to offer remote or hybrid working arrangements. Indeed, the reluctance to return to in-office work is one of the factors behind the “great resignation” — a period in which record numbers of workers have quit their jobs voluntarily. According to an ADP Research Institute report, 64% of the workforce would consider looking for new work if they were forced to return to the office full-time.
But hybrid working is no longer just about employee retention. Hybrid working and other flexible working methods are now critical to attracting top talent and building a strong employer value proposition (EVP) — the unique benefits employees get from working for an employer.
According to a recent survey by YouGov and workspace management software provider Cloudbooking, 67% of US and UK workers would be less likely to join companies that did not offer hybrid work. In contrast, only 27% disagreed with that statement.
Expectations for hybrid work higher in UK workers
The survey also found that more UK workers are likely to demand hybrid working than their US counterparts, suggesting a difference in perspectives over the value of flexible working arrangements.
Nearly three in every four (74%) UK job seekers consider hybrid working — or the lack thereof — important when joining a company. In contrast, approximately one in two (58%) US workers feel the same way,
One factor behind this disparity might be the vocal calls among US employers for a full-time, post-pandemic return to the office. In a 2021 poll of 2,800 senior managers at American companies, 71% said they would require workers to be on-site full-time as soon as all pandemic restrictions are lifted. In other words, many US workers may be more likely to see their hybrid working arrangements as just a phase.
UK workers, on the other hand, have made it very clear that returning to the office full-time is not on the cards for them. For instance, a report by the Policy Institute at King’s College London shows that nearly 80% of London-based workers who now work remotely at least once a week say it helps them feel more in control and allows them to reduce their daily commuting time — a major source of dissatisfaction in the country’s capital.
Higher-earning employees in the UK are also more likely to work hybrid, according to data from the Office of National Statistics. These workers are bucking the long tradition of professionals wanting their own office the further they go up the career ladder. Interestingly, ONS data also shows an inverse relationship between the frequency of travelling to work and salary grade progression, suggesting that higher-earning individuals are less keen on commuting daily to the office.
What does this mean for employers?
Moving forward, employers, hiring managers, and recruiters have no choice but to consider hybrid and remote working as critical components of talent acquisition. Hybrid working is quickly becoming the de facto approach to work — those who refuse to acknowledge it risk limiting their ability to reach top talent.
Learn more about the findings of this Cloudbooking survey by downloading the report The Future of Work: 8 Trends in Workplace Transformation.
| [1] | Author: Jane Holmes Jane Holmes is the Head of Marketing and Communications at Cloudbooking, a workplace management software provider helping companies build human-centric, hybrid workplaces that improve employee experience and workplace utilisation. Socials: LinkedIn |
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