Workspace company Beyond commissioned an independent survey of 1,262 UK adults in part-time or full-time employment. It found that two in five (39%) employees are weighing up moving jobs in the coming year, with 47% saying that wanting a better hybrid working policy is a factor in doing so.
This trend has gathered pace since Covid. For those who have changed jobs since the start of 2022, 43% say that finding an employer with a better remote or hybrid working policy influenced their decision.
The overwhelming majority (80%) of UK employees believe that the rise of flexible working is the single best thing to come from the pandemic.
Wybo Wijnbergen, CEO of Beyond, said: “Hybrid working arrangements have been both a professional and cultural movement, going from a ‘nice-to-have’ perk to a ‘must-have’ for workers globally. Our research underlines that in the UK, finding roles with flexibility has become a top priority for employees – and we should certainly expect this to shape millions of people’s career decisions in 2024.
“What does that mean for business leaders? For one, it is an opportunity to attract and retain top talent, if they can tap into that sentiment. If they can offer flexibility in how, when and where people work, that will better enable them to build great teams – and if they want to encourage their employees to commute into their place of work, then that place of work better be great, too.”
Beyond's survey found that, at present, 36% of UK workers are in roles that dictate they must be on site – such as doctors, nurses, teachers, construction workers, and so forth. For those in roles where hybrid working arrangements would be possible, 44% are working in a hybrid model (combining office and remote working), 30% are in the office full-time, and 22% are fully remote.