A recent study published by the CIPD looking into hybrid and flexible working practices found that 83% of organisations have hybrid working in place and are leaning more and more toward flexibility and hybrid working as ways of attracting and retaining talent.

In an in-depth study of the working environment, the CIPD seems to confirm the trend that has emerged out of the pandemic is here to stay and is proving to be a core feature of the modern workplace, despite fears around productivity and performance.

You can download a copy of the report using the link above or by clicking here:

Key Findings for Hybrid Working

  • 83% per cent of organisations have hybrid working in place.
  • Overall, employees are most likely to be required in the workplace for two (35%) or three (33%) days a week.
  • 72% of employers have not reduced pay or benefits for employees who are predominantly working from home.  11% said their organisation was planning to do this.
  • 38% of organisations say that more home/hybrid working has increased their organisation’s productivity/efficiency.  13% say it has decreased their organisation’s productivity/efficiency.
  • 46% of employers think that employees in their organisation are generally more productive when they are working from home/in a hybrid way.

Wider Impact of Hybrid Working

When looking at the wider impact of hybrid working, employers are most likely to say it has brought a positive impact for:

  • attraction and retention of talent (+61)
  • ability to recruit from a wider geography in the UK (+62) • ability to recruit a more diverse workforce (+53)
  • employee financial wellbeing (+53).

They are most likely to say it has brought a negative impact for:

  • employee connection to organisation purpose (−21)
  • the ability of managers to lead teams effectively (−18)
  • the culture of the organisation (−3).

Benefits and Challenges of Hybrid Working

When it comes to the key benefits of shifting to increased hybrid working, respondents point to improved:

  • work-life balance for employees (71%)
  • employee satisfaction (52%)
  • employee wellbeing (42%)
  • increased ability to attract new employees (42%)
  • increased business flexibility (42%).

Some of the top issues faced as a result of the shift to increased home or hybrid working include:

  • getting people back into the office when needed (42%)
  • managers managing remote teams from a well-being and performance perspective (41%)
  • impact on collaboration and creativity (35%)
  • technology and/or connectivity difficulties (33%)
  • the impact on culture (26%).

Increase in Requests for Flexible Working

  • 40% of employers have seen an increase in formal requests for flexible working following the pandemic.
  • A similar number (39%) say they will be more likely to grant requests for flexible working, besides working from home, compared with before the pandemic.
  • A growing number of organisations (66%) believe that it is important to provide flexible working as an option when advertising jobs (56% said this last year).
  • Employers in the voluntary sector are most likely to say this (voluntary: 74%; public: 69%; private: 64%).
  • Overall, 71% feel that this has become more important following the pandemic.

Reasons for Increasing Uptake of Flexible Working
For those organisations planning to increase the uptake of wider forms of flexible working, key reasons include to:

  • improve their ability to attract and retain staff (60%)
  • support employees’ work-life balance (60%)
  • support staff motivation/productivity (54%)
  • support employees’ mental health and wellbeing (54%).