Despite a rise in return-to-office mandates, the majority of UK hybrid workers still only go into the office three (41%) or four (27%) days a week, a poll has argued.
The survey of 8,000 full-time office workers across the UK, US, Germany, and France (2,000 per market) by hybrid meeting technology firm Owl Labs concluded the vast majority of UK workers (86%) want flexible hours and, in particular, a four-day working week.
Hybrid working
The majority (93%) said they would take action if they were no longer allowed to work remotely or hybrid. In fact, the top reason employees were looking for a new job was pursuit of a better work/life balance, with this being a consistent trend since 2024 (50%) and up from 41% reported in 2023.
Almost half of those polled (44%) said they were prepared to reject any role that did not offer flexible hours. This boundary has become stricter in the last year; in 2024, 39% of employees said they would reject a job without flexible hours, said Owl Labs.
More than half (51%) now scheduled personal appointments during work hours, with most (41%) taking up to an hour daily for these.
Of those doing so, employees with caring responsibilities were more likely to consciously schedule appointments regularly during work hours (26%) compared to those without such responsibilities (17%).
In a similar vein, more than two-thirds (67%) of UK workers were interested in microshifting , or working in short, non-linear blocks in line with their energy, duties, or productivity. This increased to 72% for Gen Z and Millennials and compared with 45% for Gen X and 19% for Boomers.
Almost three-quarters (73%) of employees saw the four-day week as an important benefit. This trend was particularly strong among Millennials (77%) and Gen Z (72%), while only 38% of Boomers felt the same.
UK employees would give up an average of 8% of their salary for a four-day work week, the survey found, with 45% saying they would give up 10% or more of their salary.
Nearly half (45%) of employees said they were concerned about being forced to be in the office full-time, a figure up from the 42% reported in 2024. Yet, the majority (67%) said that their employer had not changed their policy in the last year.
Moreover, employees were using a range of tactics to resist traditional working patterns. The most popular approach this year was work-to-rule , or where employees are strict about performing only the tasks outlined in their job descriptions within their contracted hours.
Almost four in five (79%) felt having meetings from 4.30pm onwards was too late. This drops to 63% for non-managers, who appeared more accepting of later meetings, while 80% of managers rejected them, said Owl Labs.
Our data demonstrates that hybrid working is no longer just about when and where we work. Rather, the rise in trends like coffee badging and work-to-rule demonstrates that UK employees are also looking for true fluidity in how they work, said Owl Labs CEO Frank Weishaupt.
The expectation isn t that everyone should access the same level of flexibility either; over two-thirds (68%) believe that employers should provide more flexibility for those that need it most, like working parents.
When employers champion this approach, they often see a productivity boost as employees feel more engaged with their work, invested in the company s success, and are therefore motivated to deliver better results, he added.
Separately, research by Health Shield Friendly Society has argued that hybrid workers are the happiest, and have the best work/life balance, in the UK.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of those working a mix of at home and on site said they were happiest. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of those who work entirely remotely say they have at least a good work-life balance.
Of more concern, however, was the 40% of the 975 employees polled who said their work frequently or always interfered with personal or family life.
A third (35%) picked out high workload or job demands as a barrier to work/life balance, with 30% cited long working hours.
In terms of health and wellbeing, most employees (93%) who felt their employer supported their wellbeing also said they felt happy and motivated in their work, rising to 98% who felt valued and supported at the same time.
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