New research published today by Landsec has revealed a distinct lack of clarity around what ‘hybrid’ working means, with less than one in five UK workers agreeing on a definition.
Despite hybrid working being the most common working pattern of British office workers today, with the number of hybrid workers almost doubling in just three months earlier this year, over a quarter of respondents (29%) said they were ‘not very satisfied’ or ‘not satisfied at all’ with their employer’s current hybrid working approach.
This increases to over half when focused on graduate and entry-level employees (52%).
As the economy looks for growth, the ‘hotchpotch’ reality of hybrid working is having a negative impact on UK workers.
This hybrid ‘hotchpotch’ is having a negative impact on bosses’ relationships with their teams.
A hybrid model attracts jobseekers
Nearly eight in ten workers (79%) identify a strong hybrid working approach as an either somewhat or extremely important factor when choosing an employer. In today’s widespread war for talent, businesses have an opportunity to more clearly define what hybrid means as a competitive advantage. The polling revealed that when an office works well it can benefit employee development and connection between colleagues.
A staggering 51 percent of workers feel more comfortable asking for support in the office, vs 36 percent working remotely.
Also, 50 percent feel more confident they have greater career development opportunities in the office, vs 38 percent working remotely.
Additionally, 55 percent noted a stronger connection with colleagues, vs 34 percent working remotely.
Research also highlighted the vital role the office has to play in supporting employee wellbeing, with 70 percernt of employees finding it easier to protect their mental health when working some of their time in the office and some of their time at home, compared to all of their time at home.
Oli Knight, Head of Offices at Landsec, said:
“There is no doubt the pandemic accelerated the rise of hybrid working. In this new world, businesses of all shapes and size are having to adapt at pace with few sources of inspiration as to what success looks like – and today’s research reveals that hybrid working is poorly defined as a result. This has led to a myriad of different approaches, not all of which are working.
“This naturally raises the question: is this flexible approach to hybrid wrong? At Landsec, we don’t believe so; but we do believe businesses must let their culture define what hybrid means for them. As landlords, we work in close partnerships with our customers to deliver tailored workplace solutions that are as unique as the businesses themselves. This is no doubt a challenge – but not one businesses have to face alone.”
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
