78% of UK firms now hybrid
More than three-quarters of organizations (78%) in the United Kingdom (UK) now allow hybrid working through either formal or informal arrangements, said human resource management professionals association Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
In a survey of over 1000 senior decision-makers, more than half (59%) of senior decision-makers agreed business leaders and managers in their organizations were more likely to trust people to work from home and be productive following the pandemic compared to before COVID-19.
However, employers are split over whether the move to new ways of working will last or if organizations will return to pre-pandemic working methods.
About 42% of senior decision-makers feel that ‘the memory of the pandemic will fade quite quickly, and it won’t be long before we revert to the way we worked before COVID-19′.
A close 41%, on the other hand, believe that the hybrid work model would be a long-term arrangement.
CIPD Head of Public Policy Ben Willmott said that “developing [an] effective hybrid working arrangements can help employers attract and retain a more diverse workforce while enhancing employee wellbeing, work-life balance, and productivity.”
However, he also countered that hybrid working is not for everyone, that is why employers must have “consistency and fairness” in managing, rewarding, and promoting those who work remotely and those who are in the office full-time.
