More than a quarter of workers in the UK were hybrid working this autumn, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Its Opinions and Lifestyles survey for October showed that, while the trend to only work from home has fallen since the pandemic, a hybrid model where part of the working week is spent at home has become the “new normal” for many UK workers.
Hybrid working is more common among people over the age of 30, working parents, managers and those in professional occupations, and those in industries that require less face-to-face contact.
Almost three in 10 were over the age of 30, the ONS found, while 19% of 16-29-year-olds followed a hybrid working pattern.
Working parents were more likely to do hybrid work (35%) compared with working non-parents (24%), according to the ONS. Male working parents were more likely to do hybrid work than female working parents (41% compared with 30% respectively).
Hybrid working
Almost half (45%) of those in more senior roles (managers, directors or senior officials) followed a hybrid working model, compared with 27% of all workers. Just 3% of people in sectors such as retail or cleaning had a hybrid arrangement.
Workers with a degree or equivalent qualification were 10 times more likely to hybrid work than those with no qualifications – 42% compared with 4% – the ONS found. It was also more prevalent in the IT industry, where 49% of employers offered hybrid working – the highest share.
People who worked from home saved an average of 56 minutes per day by not commuting, the ONS found, and reported 24 more minutes of “sleep and rest” than when in the office. They also reported spending 15 minutes more on “exercise, sports and wellbeing”.
From an employer perspective, continuing to offer hybrid working was driven by a desire for improved staff wellbeing, with this one of the most cited reasons for supporting the arrangement.
Catherine Sermon, head of public engagement and campaigns at Phoenix Insights, a think-tank run by insurance company Phoenix Group, said: “The concept of the eight-hour working day and notions about where, when and how we should work to carry out our role effectively are over 200 years old.
“Hybrid working can be a game changer for workers, enabling them to balance work for a wide range of important reasons such as caring responsibilities, or better manage their physical and mental health.”
She added that flexible hours can play a vital role in helping employees over the age of 50 to manage their work arrangements.
“Businesses, where possible, should adopt a culture of flexibility in their organisations to get the best from their colleagues, and encourage managers to have good conversations to ensure hybrid and flexible work enables them to stay in work for as long as they need or want to.”
Sinead Heath, senior manager for reward and benefits at pensions company Isio, said the findings showed how important hybrid working is for employee retention.
“It’s clear that flexibility is highly valued by the workforce,” she said. “Our own survey supports these findings, with 70% of respondents indicating that access to hybrid working would be a decisive factor in staying with their current employer.
“Hybrid working is not only crucial for retaining current employees but also for attracting new talent. For disengaged staff considering a move, hybrid working is one of the most influential factors in their decision to join another employer.
“We know that flexibility policies are highly valued by employees, often more so than other benefits. Employers, therefore, shouldn’t hesitate to embrace these cultural shifts when there is real reward at stake for doing so.”
The ONS figures come as a number of employers are demanding full-time return-to-office arrangements or a reduction in hybrid working, including Amazon.
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