To return or not to return

To return or not to return… That is the question

With the recent Panorama documentary asking the question on whether we should still be working from home, the return to office debate is back in the news.

Lord Stuart Rose, former chairman of M&S, Asda and Ocado, told the BBC documentary “We are creating a whole generation, and probably a generation beyond that, of people who are used to actually not doing what I call ‘proper work’”.

Lord Rose believes that working from home decreases productivity, personal development is stunted, and mental health is significantly affected without the structure and collaboration of a workplace environment.

His views have led to fierce criticism from flexible working campaigners, and it also appears that employees do not agree.

The latest publication of Randstad’s annual Workmonitor study found work-life balance surpassed pay as workers’ top priority for the first time in its 22-year history.

The survey of 26,000 workers across 35 countries revealed that 83% said work-life balance was their leading motivator, while 82% favoured pay.

The CIPD’s Autumn 2024 Labour Market Outlook survey found that the adoption of forms of hybrid working remains widespread.

41% of employers allow hybrid working and have formalised policies in place.

19% of employers have informal practices for hybrid working whilst 15% are in a “testing and learning stage”.

What is clear is that the nature of hybrid working varies by industry and company type.

Half of large private, public and voluntary sector employers have formal hybrid policies in place while in SMEs informal arrangements or being unable to offer hybrid working is far more common.

The success or otherwise of hybrid working is also context-specific, and outcomes are highly dependent on the nature of the work, sector of employment, organisational policies and culture, line management and even the personality traits of the employees.

It doesn’t work for every business, and it doesn’t work for every employee.

The Panorama documentary aired following a rush of well-known companies introducing five day a week return to the office mandates.

Some of these big names included Boots, Amazon and Barclays Bank.

Whilst a popular benefit for staff, returning to the office is seemingly a growing trend as there is a consensus amongst leaders that working from home is leading to a loss of connection to the organisation’s purpose and culture.

But some employees have been showing resistance to this return to work trend.

Office for National Statistics staff are even refusing to return to the office for 40% of the working week, and voting to strike in response to the organisation’s requirement.

When looking at your policy or practice on hybrid working just remember that there is no one size fits all method and it’s important to have a clear and evidence-based rationale for your approach.

Employers should try and find a balance to meet staff feedback that works for the business, balancing productivity with support for employee work life balance.

It is in employers’ interests to understand what people want and try to find a solution that works for all.