By Wendy McDougall

 

Working from home during the last 18 months has given businesses the opportunity to rethink standard working practices and consider how they can operate most productively. For most, this includes the question of whether to implement a return-to-office or hybrid working model.

Research has shown that productivity levels rise under a hybrid working model, which is now recognised as a valid strategy for encouraging staff engagement and improving motivation. In a survey of 1000 UK employees by HiBob, 48 per cent reported feeling productive while working from home, but this rose to 69% when given the option to choose where to work on any given day.

Added to that, hybrid working effectively future-proofs your workforce. Flexibility has become a standard requirement for Gen Z and, having adapted comfortably to working from home over the past 18 months, many employees will be unwilling to give this up.

According to research by CareerBuilder, more than a quarter of jobseekers said that in the current environment, they would turn down a job offer if it did not allow a work from home option. Furthermore, 49% of 18-24 year olds have applied for a job outside their geographic region with expectations of work flexibility.

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With the highest number of UK job adverts this year posted in August, many businesses are having to fight to secure new talent. In this candidate-driven market, widening the pool of potential recruits for each position creates a clear advantage.

Since January of this year, 39% of managers surveyed by Robert Half have expanded their talent search geographically to access a wider candidate pool. It may be that the high number of job vacancies will mean businesses need to adopt a hybrid work model to accommodate candidate needs, otherwise recruitment could continue to be problematic for some time to come.

Many employees view their increased productivity as going hand-in-hand with a more successful work/life balance.

According to research by HiBob, 65% of employees with an “at will” hybrid work model reported being satisfied in their jobs. It is important that businesses engage and speak with staff to fully understand their views on working in 2021.

Far from erasing company culture, a business that can retain happy, motivated employees with a strong sense of satisfaction through strong leadership and clear, open channels of communication with its workforce, will fare well during this period of high job vacancies.

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Robert Half reported that while 71% of managers said they would prefer to see a full-time return to the office, 49% of employees said they prefer a hybrid model, with only 25% preferring a full-time return to the office.

Anecdotal evidence suggests hybrid working cannot simply be set aside: a survey of more than 900 businesses by the British Chambers of Commerce indicated over 70% of businesses expected to have at least one member of staff working remotely, and that more than half the workforce (52%) would work remotely some of the time.

The same survey showed that 80% of business-to-business services firms were in a position to offer remote working to employees. Staff wishing to work from home are unlikely to be forgiving if an employer refuses to accommodate hybrid working in the current market.

A combination of remote and office-based working is a compromise that suits many employees and businesses, but to make it work, employers must plan well and effectively communicate how they will make the transition to this model. Changes such as operational adjustments can be made gradually, with the impact monitored.

Strong business leadership, trust and accountability are vital, and the importance of implementing these pillars of company culture when working as disparate teams cannot be underestimated.

Wendy McDougall is founder and chief executive of Firefish Software.