Alex Hall-Chen
Principal Policy Advisor for Employment, Institute of Directors
We surveyed over 600 business leaders to uncover the state of play in flexible working in UK workplaces.
Recent news has been full of examples of big brands, including Santander, Boots and JD Sports, that have ordered staff back into the office. Nevertheless, are these stories reflective of employers across the country?
Remote working is here to stay
Our research* at Institute of Directors (IOD) found that these stories are the exception. They are evidently not the rule, as 84% of business leaders reported that they offer their office-based staff some form of remote working. For a quarter of businesses, this takes the form of those staff working entirely remotely or having full choice about how much time they spend in the office.
Most employers, however, are settling on a hybrid model, with 51% of business leaders stating that staff are required in the office between one to four days a week. Hybrid working can offer the best of both worlds: supporting employees’ work-life balance while reaping the benefits that come from some face-to-face interaction with colleagues in the office.
Hybrid working can offer
the best of both worlds.
What about other forms of flexible working?
All too often, discussions about flexible working are reduced to just remote working. Yet, flexible working takes many forms, and the best employers consider a range of flexible working options for their staff.
Our research found that 90% of employers offer at least one form of flexible working. After remote working, the most commonly cited were part-time work (48%), flexible hours (33%) and phased retirement (15%).
What is the future of flexible working?
Since April 2024, employees have had the right to formally request flexible working from their first day of employment. The new Government plans to go further by only allowing employers to turn down requests if it is ‘reasonable’ to do so.
What we hear on the ground from business leaders is that this is already happening organically. Small adjustments may happen over time, and our research shows that not only is remote working here to stay but employers are embracing a wide range of flexible working options.
