More than two fifths of employers (44 percent) have admitted that requiring employees to return to the office is more about appearance than purpose.
A poll of 500 employers and 1,501 workers, conducted by Censuswide for Indeed, showed that 55 percent of employees agree with this.
More than half of employers (54 percent) also admitted that businesses are treating enforced office returns as a “cure-all” for any organisational problems, with 46 percent of employees also stating this.
Full office return in two years
However, in spite of this acknowledgment 57 percent of businesses said they expect their workforces to be back in the office full time in less than two years.
With only 17 percent of employees choosing to go into the office more often than required the plans are unlikely to be welcome, particularly given the broad recognition among staff and managers that office attendance is more about appearances.
The majority of leaders 56 percent also admitted that they favour the staff who come into the office more often. More than two fifths of workers (43 percent) also recognise this bias.
Four day week is coming
However, the four day week was one area where employers and their workforces were more closely aligned. Eighty-two percent of employers think a four day work week could become a reality for their company in less than five years. This is partly because of government proposals that would enhance employee rights to request that they work their contracted hours in four days. More than half of employees (59 percent) said the government should put these plans in place.
More than two-thirds of workers (67 percent) said they could fit their current workload into four days and they told researchers a four day week was more important to them than location flexibility and the right to disconnect.
The Labour government has promised to give workers the right to disconnect from work, following legislation in countries like Ireland, Belgium and Australia. But 49 percent of employees said they don’t have faith that this will be enforced in the UK.
Respondents pointed to workplace culture as a reason for this disbelief. Almost half (49 percent) of workers say it’s the norm in their organisation to reply to messages instantly. The idea of being ‘always on’ is a top-down issue and 44 percent of senior leaders said they also feel pressure to be available online or in the office after hours, even if they’ve completed their work.
Work from home rights
Legislation to support employees’ flexible work choices was welcomed, with 61 percent of workers agreeing that the government should strengthen their right to work from home. However, half believe government policy wouldn’t change their employer’s attitude to being in the office. And employers are aware of their influence, with 66 percent reporting that regardless of official policy, the more they’re in the office, the more employees also attend.
The survey found this to be true for other forms of flexible working. Three-fifths (61 percent) of workers said the government should strengthen access to a four day work week, but the same proportion said that even if they officially had a shortened week, if senior leadership worked five days, then others would too.
More than two-thirds (68 percent) of workers said that the government should legislate the right to disconnect, however, 41 percent believe their employer would still expect them to work after hours.
Danny Stacy, UK head of Talent Intelligence at hiring platform Indeed, said: “Flexible working policies are an excellent tool for businesses looking to attract and retain top talent, given the importance that workers clearly place on working in a way that suits them. What this looks like will differ between industries and individual businesses, but the good news for employers is that different forms of flexibility are gaining popularity. Not every business is able to offer remote work, for example, and could instead put into place a shortened work week or flexi-time.
“Employees have made it clear in our research that business leaders set the tone for flexible working. Organisations who believe in flexibility and want to ingrain this in their culture must ensure that senior employees lead by example, so workers at all levels feel empowered to follow suit.”
