Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Working from homeLatest NewsFlexible workingEarly careersWork-life balance

Staff seek greater flexibility as they get older

by Ashleigh Webber 2 Dec 2019
by Ashleigh Webber 2 Dec 2019 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Employees increasingly look for a job that is tailored to their lives, rather than having to adapt their lives to their work, a report has claimed.

Research commissioned by law firm Taylor Wessing, which looked at what workers from different generations across the UK wanted from the workplace, found a significant “generational shift” in employee preferences.

Remote working

Remote working roles have doubled in four years

Could an organisation work on a completely remote basis?

Remote workers ‘should spend at least two days in office’

Both employers and office space developers needed to take note of how employees’ preferences change as they get older, its Work in Progress report suggests. For example 35% of 30-45 year olds want the ability to work remotely, compared with 23% of employees in their 20s – many of whom favour the ability to socialise at work.

Three-quarters (74%) of staff of all ages say the length of their commute is an important factor in deciding whether they should consider a remote working role, while 48% of UK workers say the ability to work flexible hours is important to them.

The report says allowing an element of flexible and home working is an “easy win” for employers, so long as they have the appropriate infrastructure to make this viable.

The prevalence of remote working and other flexible working policies has led to a reduction in the need for fixed offices and desks, it notes. Communal spaces within office complexes were also rising in popularity.

Sean Nesbitt, international practice area leader for employment at Taylor Wessing, said: “Employers must embrace this need for flexibility and choice if they want to compete by attracting and retaining the best people.

“Some businesses may balk at enabling a multi-choice, elective-presence environment, opting instead for a more transactional relationship with their workforce and accepting a higher churn. Many though, especially those that need a relatively calm pool of high skills, won’t have that choice, and will instead continue to develop and embellish their ‘work offering’ with technology and policies that appeal to today’s and tomorrow’s workers.”

The report also finds that:

  • Four in 10 (44%) UK workers say that having up-to-date hardware and software is important to them, rising to 57% among 26-30 year olds
  • Almost a quarter (23%) of employees rate their employer poorly for up-to-date software and hardware provision
  • 21-25 year olds are most likely to favour working in a city centre (36%). This falls to 9% among 46-50 year olds
  • Access to gyms is important to 10% of people, particularly 26-30 year olds (18%)
  • Thirty per cent of employees rate access to green space near their place of work as important.

  Performance and Engagement opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more performance and engagement jobs

 

 

Ashleigh Webber
Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is editor of OHW+ and HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support. Prior to joining Personnel Today in 2018, she covered the road transport sector for Commercial Motor and Motor Transport magazines, touching on some of the employment and wellbeing issues experienced by those in road haulage.

previous post
PwC cracks down on office drinking
next post
EU visitors to UK will need three days’ notice before travelling

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Hybrid working: why presence bias is still an...

5 Jun 2023

Hybrid working: Combatting loneliness and enabling inclusion

31 May 2023

Chancellor: office working should be the default

18 May 2023

JPMorgan Chase tells leaders to spend more time...

13 Apr 2023

Ramadan in the workplace: top tips for employers

21 Mar 2023

Winter weather and work: five common employer queries

8 Mar 2023

Call for more help for people with disabilities...

6 Mar 2023

Londoners would demand pay rise for office return

15 Feb 2023

Businesses warned not to ditch hybrid working

9 Feb 2023

Hybrid working and tax: what employers need to...

3 Feb 2023

  • The HR Bundle: Your one-stop guide to building a successful global HR Department PROMOTED | Get your hands on Deel’s free HR bundle...Read more
  • The Benefits of an Employee Assistance Programme PROMOTED | EAPs support employees in a range of ways...Read more
  • Intergenerational working and how to manage up and down the generations PROMOTED | The benefits and challenges of intergenerational workplaces...Read more
  • Bereavement in the workplace: How training can help HR get it right PROMOTED | HR professionals play an essential role...Read more
  • UK workforce mental wellbeing needs PROMOTED | The mental wellbeing support employers are providing misses the mark...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+