More professionals are now working exclusively in an office setting than those who say they are hybrid working, according to research.
Less than two-fifths of workers (39%) are now hybrid working, while slightly more (43%) say they are working fully in an office setting.
The survey by recruitment giant Hays, based on responses from nearly 15,000 professionals and employers, found that 61% of employers offer hybrid working, but that 24% anticipate their hybrid working offer changing over the next year, requiring more staff to attend the office.
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Last year, more professionals were splitting their working time between home and the workplace (43%) versus those who were working fully in an office setting (36%). Only 18% of workers say they are working fully remotely now, versus 21% last year.
Gaelle Blake, head of permanent appointments at Hays UK and Ireland, said: “It’s clear from our research that there’s still no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to how staff want to work and how flexible employers are willing to be.
“Yet, despite more workers saying they are now working full time in an office – it’s evident that hybrid working can’t be erased overnight.”
Half of organisations said they operate a hot-desking policy, increasing to 63% in London. Of these, 49% said it was a new approach after reducing desk numbers, while 51% said they had always operated this way.
The research also found that 57% of workers said they would accept a job in the future that did not offer hybrid working, but 43% of professionals said they would not.
People living in northwest England would be the most likely to accept a job in the future if it did not offer hybrid working (66%), versus just 44% of those who work in London.
“What employers need to understand is that everyone is different – some workers may thrive in an office environment, and some won’t,” said Blake.
“If employers are asking staff back to the office more – they need to question if they are doing it for the right reasons such as facilitating more team building opportunities and offering an enticing work environment. Employers who are asking staff to come into the office more due to a lack of trust will struggle to retain staff going forward.”
When it comes to policies for different levels of staff, almost a third (32%) of employers said they had different policies for where people work, depending on seniority.
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