Hybrid Working On The Increase
New data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found that since the Government's guidance to work from home where possible was lifted in February 2022, those engaging in hybrid working has nearly doubled from 13% to 24%.
The research by the ONS also found the following:-
- Those working completely from home has fallen from 22% in February 2022, to 14%
- The percentage of workers working exclusively from their office increased from 34% in February 2022, to 46%
- Those earning £40,000.00 or more are more likely to be engaged in hybrid working (38%), compared to those earning less. Just 8% of those earning up to £15,000.00, for instance, were engaged in hybrid working
- Those aged between 30-49 years of age, were the age group who are most likely to be engaged in hybrid working (29%)
- Those engaged in hybrid working reported the following benefits: improved work/life balance (78%), fewer distractions (53%), able to work faster (52%), and improved wellbeing (47%)
- 84% of workers want to engage in hybrid working going forwards
The Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, acknowledges that hybrid working is here to stay. He told the podcast, Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future, that: "As employers we are all having to face the fact that we are having to recruit people in a job market where that is increasingly part of the work-life balance. It has to be said that organisations have proved you can do more things with home working than you thought you could."
Bailey added that some time spent in the office, however, remains important. He said: "I do think you get benefits from having face-to-face contact that you don’t get on the screen. And how do you make the staff who join us get the same benefits that we all had working with and interacting with people? It is important people come to work but we are going to balance it."
Presenteeism Remains A Problem
As we have highlighted in previous articles, presenteeism has become a major issue in recent times. However, new research has found that the problem is being exacerbated by the cost of living crisis.
In a new report by MetLife UK, 23% of workers say they would be worried about the financial implications of having to take a day off work due to illness, with women (28%) being more concerned than men (18%)
The Head of Employee Benefits at MetLife, Adrian Matthews, stated in relation to the findings that: "Employers should work hard to ensure their employees feel supported when they’re ill so they feel they can take the time off they need to feel better and are not creating an environment which relies on presenteeism and employees having to hide how they’re really feeling."
The problem of presenteeism was highlighted by a recent report from the the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), who stated: “With the recent increase in homeworking, digital technology has the potential to enable an ‘always on’ culture. There’s a concern that the boundaries between work and home life can be increasingly blurred, making it more difficult for many people to switch off.“
The trade union, Prospect, has been campaigning for a legal right to disconnect out of hours to be introduced in the UK. In relation to their campaign, Andrew Pakes, the research director at Prospect, stated: “Other countries have already acted to address this by bringing in a right to disconnect for workers, and we are calling on the UK government to take action now so that we are not left behind.“
Prospect, had called for the legal right to disconnect to be included in the Employment Bill, but that Bill failed to materialise in the Queen's Speech. Nevertheless, the campaign for a legal right to disconnect continues.
