Hybrid working remains prevalent in the UK with 91 percent of employers saying they support the practice. However, employers have almost unanimously (98 percent) attempted to encourage workers to return to the office.
The findings were revealed in research from Towergate Health & Protection. The results showed that on average 39 percent of the workforce are hybrid working and 27 percent of employers have more than half their workforce hybrid working.
Close to a third (30 percent) of employees work from home for at least three days a week with employers reporting that people aged between 31 and 40 years old are the age group most likely to want to work from home. People over 60 and under 25s are least likely to want to work from home.
Employers told researchers that they had used various tactics to entice people back into the office. Two fifths (41 percent) of employers had organised more on-site socials, 40 percent had provided free drink and/or meals, and 38 percent had organised on-site wellbeing days, introduced access to in-person counselling and offered access to a gym. More than a third (37 percent) have made some days in the office mandatory, while 34 percent decided to subsidise transport or commuting costs.
Debra Clark, head of wellbeing for Towergate Health & Protection, said: “With so many people still working from home for at least some of the week, health and wellbeing support needs to be adaptable to all scenarios. Employers should look to offer as wide a range of support as possible and make it easily accessible from the workplace, and remotely, and we’re seeing more employers using employee benefit platforms to help with this.”
She added: “Many employers are still offering some level of flexibility over work locations and the drive for a return to the office has mostly been on a voluntary basis. The important thing is ensuring that the employer is still able to engage with their employees, regardless of the work setting. Employee benefits and support will need to remain flexible and adaptable to both scenarios.”
