I was asked by the VP HR EMEA for one of our industrial technology clients, "what is your view on hybrid working? What are other companies doing?"
Here are my observations;
- With the 30 or so clients we are currently partnering, most have adopted a hybrid working model where employees are expected to go to an office around 2 days per week
- We do have clients who changed their recruitment thinking during the pandemic into one of pure remote working. This really helped them to attract and recruit outstanding talent that they would not have been able to do if we could only have focused on candidates within commuting distance of their offices. They are organising more days when whole teams are flying to a location in the world to spend time together. They really believe that face to face time to bond and develop relationships remains very important
- I do know companies that are demanding everyone returns to the office 5 days per week and are already suffering a loss of talent. No matter how great the company culture or roles, employees have found real value in home working and don't want to give it up. There are plenty of options for them to continue with hybrid working. Unfortunately with a new employer though
- We have been working with a client who has worked 5 days per week in the office throughout the pandemic, has continued post Covid but has realised that they face a tougher task attracting the new talent they need to continue their growth. They have recently adopted a hybrid model!
In summary, dismiss hybrid or remote working at your peril! Employees see huge benefit in it, have got used to it and will leave for a company that will accommodate this.
How is your company approaching the question of hybrid working?
The research is supported by new data from Indeed, the world’s largest job site, which shows that year-on-year searches for the term ‘hybrid’ have increased by 6,531% in the twelve months up to the end of April, making it one of the fastest growing search terms on their UK website. The ability to work remotely is also prized amongst job seekers, with searches for remote work having also risen (+666 per cent), now accounting for 2.3 per cent of all searches. This highlights the desire for people to be able to work closer to their local communities, with 60 per cent of survey respondents confirming that they would like a workspace within 15 minutes of their home.
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