Nearly two thirds (63 percent) of HR professionals have called the push to have UK employees in the office five days a week “unhelpful”.
A survey of 145 senior HR, finance, and c-suite professionals showed that 38 percent said a return to a five-day office week would be “unhelpful” from an HR perspective, while 25 percent deemed it “very unhelpful”.
Only 12 percent said such a policy would be beneficial, and 23 percent said they “were not concerned by this issue”.
Steve Herbert, brand ambassador at Occupational Health Assessment, which conducted the survey, said: “Some large American employers – including those with a significant employment footprint here in the UK – have been seeking to enforce return to office mandates in the USA. It seems likely that at least some employers here in the UK will follow suit, either because they have a US parent company or because they believe this is a necessary decision for business success.”
However, Herbert warned that forced RTO could complicate HR issues.
“Workforce issues that may need to be addressed include loss of work-life balance, damage to employee financial and mental health, a reduction in recruitment and retention appeal, and even the potential for discrimination issues if the mandates are not carefully considered. These are all challenges that might ultimately end up in the HR in-tray, potentially making an already complex job even more challenging.”
The number of employment tribunals related to remote working has risen in recent years. Separate research published this week found a significant increase as more employers tell staff to return to the office.
Further findings from the Occupational Health Assessment survey showed 47 percent of all employers said they were taking a more cautious approach to hiring as a result of various cost pressures they are facing. Within this proportion 33 percent said they are “slightly more cautious”, while 14 percent said they are “much more cautious” before making a final job offer.
Magnus Kauders, managing director of Occupational Health Assessment, said: “The increase in employment costs, potentially enhanced employment rights and the economic uncertainty at the start of 2025 has led many more employers toward a more cautious approach to recruitment.
“The need to get recruitment right first time, every time, is clearly a key focus for so many employers in this difficult environment. It follows that we expect to see more employers embracing pre-employment health checks and expert occupational health assessments in the year ahead.”
