A large part of the workforce think that anyone who goes back to in-person offices should be vaccinated.
According to XpertHR 75 percent of employees feel like this, and are unwilling to return to a physical workspace unless colleagues are vaccinated. Even then, they would rather work from home or in a hybrid way – with many saying they would move jobs if hybrid working was stopped.
However, with the Omicron variant causing travel disruptions and the return of face masks in public spaces, research shows the workforce does not want to put their physical or mental health at risk.
Younger workers would leave without flexibility
Four in five workers also say they want flexibility where they work. While 47 percent say they would consider changing their jobs if flexible working wasn’t an option.
A third of these were millennials (aged 25-34) who said they would look for a new job if their employer went back to an in-person model.
The research also found that younger people could be driving the Great Resignation.
Thirty two percent of people between 21-24 say they plan to move employers, with 27 percent planning to leave in the next six months.
Londoners not prepared to put up with the commute any more
This ties in with research from the jobs site TotalJobs which found 75 percent of Londoners would quit a job if they were asked to commute again.
Again, these figures are higher amongst Gen Z and Millennials – 70 percent of them said they would leave their job, if it didn’t tie with their lifestyle.
The Chartered Management Institute, meanwhile, found that close to a third of businesses have cut their office space as a result of bringing in hybrid working models.
The vast majority have adopted a combination of home and office working for their teams, with an average of 44 percent of staff back in the workplace at least some of the time.
Advice for HR Teams
HR Review had earlier reported that experts predict a full return to the office by October 2022, but the research above shows this is not what people want.
Adrian Lewis is a Director at Activ People HR. His advice is simple – employers need to get on board with what workers want : “To avoid losing valuable staff to competitors, employers need to work out how to manage flexible working successfully so that it works for employees and the business.”
He adds: “This is going to become even more important after the Government is proposing giving employees the right to ask for flexible working from day one.”
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The TotalJobs report can be found here.
Feyaza Khan has been a journalist for more than 20 years in print and broadcast. Her special interests include neurodiversity in the workplace, tech, diversity, trauma and wellbeing.
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