Hybrid working policies a source of contention between staff and employers

More people in Ireland are working fully in the workplace than in a hybrid model for the very first time since the onset of the Covid pandemic, according to our most recent Salary and Recruiting Trends Guide. Data from our survey of almost 1,500 Irish professionals indicated that 41% now work in a hybrid way, whilst 44% are based solely in a workplace setting.

With many organisations facing a shortage of the right talent, however, greater flexibility when it comes to working practices may be needed. Employers may have to be more accommodating of employee preference in order to hold on to valuable skills.
 

Is the office back with a vengeance?

The return-to-office (RTO) question continues to spark debate, as a number of major global conglomerates begin to renege on previously employee-led policies. For example, 30,000 Amazon employees signed a petition in a bid to prevent their employer from imposing a mandated three days in the office. Amazon have not wavered in the face of this internal opposition, with their CEO telling workers: “it’s not going to work out” for employees who are not prepared to adhere to the three-day requirement.

Meanwhile, a US-based former senior director at AstraZeneca filed a lawsuit against her ex-employer after she had her performance bonus capped for not meeting retroactive office-attendance requirements, despite having been hired on a remote basis several years prior. Other employers have been accused of using RTO as a way of masking mass redundancies, with telecoms provider AT&T’s RTO mandate labelled a ‘layoff wolf’ in sheep’s clothing by one employee.
 

Employer preference shifting to RTO

Working patterns have seen a slow but unmistakeable shift over the past year or so. According to our most recent Salary and Recruiting Trends Guide, the proportion of staff based fully in the workplace has risen from 41% to 44%. Fully remote working is also on the wane, with 15% currently working in this way, compared to 18% 12 months before. Going back even further to 2021, 42% of people were still working fully remotely, compared to 15% today.

Conflict between staff and employers when it comes to working practices seems to be on the increase. The employee-led flexibility that followed the pandemic is perhaps losing its appeal for organisations, who are leaning increasingly towards a one-size-fits-all model. Hybrid working, for example, is likely to see a downturn. 38% of employers anticipate that employees will be required to attend the workplace more frequently in the coming year. But is that in line with what employees want?
 

Inflexible policies could leave employers skills-short

Employees unquestionably see many benefits to hybrid working, particularly when it’s tailored to the individual – 34% think adapting ways of working to personal needs makes a hybrid model more productive. Reduced spending, improved work-life balance and greater flexibility on location are also commonly acknowledged perks – in fact, nearly half (46%) of professionals say hybrid or remote work has influenced where they live.

The number of workers who consider hybrid working a prerequisite should not be taken lightly by employers – particularly given the current employee-led market conditions. Nearly all (94%) organisations have faced skills shortages in the past year, and employers have had to tailor their attraction and retention strategies accordingly in order to stand out from the crowd.

Introducing rigid RTO polices could well prove an impediment to employers looking to attract the very best talent, as not only would 46% not consider a role at all if it didn’t offer hybrid working, but 43% believe they work most productively from home, more than the number who think they work most productively from their workplace or office (41%). Employers thinking about asking staff to spend more time in the workplace would be advised to ensure they’re prepared to justify the decision, as the majority of pushbacks tend to arise when employees aren’t aware of the “why.”

Nearly half (44%) of organisations say they are still offering hybrid working to prospective staff, so employers less prepared to be flexible can expect increased challenges when it comes to securing the skills they need. Those considering requesting an increased presence in the workplace from their teams would be well placed to first ask: will the benefits of more time spent in the workplace really outweigh the added challenges when it comes to not only attracting, but retaining the right people?

To find out more about the talent management trends impacting your industry, access our latest Salary & Recruiting Trends guide today.