Research carried out by Owl Labs in its annual ‘State of Hybrid Work’ study - which polled 500 UK-based business leaders - shows that only 16% of companies expect employees to return to the office full-time.
As a result, 88% of UK business leaders said they are keen to explore policies such as working from anywhere, unlimited holidays and four-day working weeks.
As the UK continues to open up, business leaders expect a partial return to the office as only 9% of business leaders plan on getting rid of their office space permanently. Nearly one-third (32%) plan to keep their footprint the same but with lower capacity and desk space due to social distancing measures, whilst a further 18% are keeping their footprint the same due to the provision of increased collaborative spaces rather than individual desk space.
UK business leaders are cautiously optimistic with just 16% believing that the pandemic will disrupt business activity for another year. To support the return to the office, over one-third (35%) of business leaders are considering providing onsite Covid-19 testing facilities to encourage employees to return to work. Close to a quarter (23%) of UK organisations are planning to enforce ‘vaccine passports’ and only allow those who have been vaccinated into the office. Compared with Germany, France and the Nordics, the UK was the second most likely to consider enforcing ‘vaccine passports’.
A more permanent shift to hybrid working comes as 41% of business leaders believe that remote and hybrid working has impacted their business positively. The three business areas that were impacted most positively include: employee wellbeing (46%), overall employee morale (46%), and business costs (49%). The majority (73%) of business leaders believe hybrid work improves overall profitability with 55% citing that it led them to hiring better talent and increased productivity due to wider talent pools, while 47% said it boosts employee retention, and 30% stated that it reduced employee illness and absenteeism.
Just under one third (32%) of UK organisations are developing new HR policies that will aim to keep all employees engaged and treated fairly for all in-office, hybrid and remote workers. There’s also a significant appetite among business leaders to introduce the ‘right to disconnect' with 27% considering policies that would aim to ensure home life and work life doesn't bleed into each other for remote employees.
A robust tech stack will continue to help companies successfully fuel a hybrid working model post-pandemic. As office spaces change so will the tech we use to power them. Consequently, nearly all (94%) of UK organisations are putting policies in place to prepare for a post-pandemic workplace, with the UK leading the way in tech investment with nearly half (46%) of business leaders investing in new tech and solutions to support a hybrid workforce. More specifically, 43% of organisations plan to adopt communications tools (such as Slack, Zoom) compared to just 28% in the Nordics, 36% in France and 38% in Germany. Over one-third (37%) are providing at-home and in-office equipment for employees so they can easily work from both locations (37%).