New research has claimed that almost half of UK bosses (44%) believe being in the office is more about appearance than purpose.
Despite this, the survey of 1,500 office workers and 500 employers in the UK – conducted by global hiring platform Indeed – found that more than half (57%) of businesses plan for their staff to be back in the office full time in less than two years.聽
This plan is unlikely to be welcome news for workers as only 17% choose to go into the office more than they鈥檙e mandated to – showing just how much Brits have come accustomed to working from home.聽
This won鈥檛 be helped by the fact that workers are aware that they鈥檙e being called to work in-person with little reason, as 55% of employees agree that being in the office is to keep up appearances, rather than for any purpose.聽
Almost half (46%) say their organisation is treating the return to the office as a cure-all to its problems – and a greater proportion of bosses (54%) admit this themselves.聽
Meanwhile, 56% of leaders acknowledge that they favour the employees who come into the office more often. Workers are aware of this partiality, as 43% agree that this is true.聽
4-day working week
However, there is a form of flexibility where workers and businesses can get on the same page 鈥� the four day work week.聽
A huge 82% of UK employers think a four-day work week could become a reality for their company in less than five years. With reports that the UK government plans to bolster employees鈥� ability to work their contracted hours in four days, 59% of employers agree that the government should strengthen these rights to a shorter work week.聽
This feels feasible for workers too, as 67% say that they could fit their current workload into four days. Workers even rank a four-day week as more important to them than location flexibility and the right to disconnect.
Right to disconnect
Meanwhile the Labour government has pledged to give workers the right to disconnect, following legislation in countries like Ireland, Belgium and Australia. Despite this, workers don鈥檛 have much faith – half (49%) say that they鈥檇 still work after hours, even if the right to disconnect became policy in the UK.聽
Workplace culture is a big part of this lack of belief as half (49%) of workers say it鈥檚 the norm in their organisation to reply to messages instantly. The idea of being 鈥榓lways on鈥� is a top-down issue, as even 44% of senior leaders say they feel pressure to stay online or be in the office after hours, even if they鈥檝e completed their work.聽
68% of workers say that the government should legislate the right to disconnect; however 41% believe their employer would still expect them to work after hours, regardless.
鈥淔lexible working policies are an excellent tool for businesses looking to attract and retain top talent, given the importance that workers clearly place on working in a way that suits them,鈥� said Danny Stacy, UK head of talent intelligence at Indeed.聽
鈥淲hat this looks like will differ between industries and individual businesses, but the good news for employers is that different forms of flexibility are gaining popularity. Not every business is able to offer remote work, for example, and could instead put into place a shortened work week or flexi-time.聽
鈥淓mployees have made it clear in our research that business leaders set the tone for flexible working. Organisations who believe in flexibility and want to ingrain this in their culture must ensure that senior employees lead by example, so workers at all levels feel empowered to follow suit.鈥�
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