Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

OfficesHybrid workingLatest NewsLabour market

Office attendance overtakes hybrid working

by Rob Moss 24 Oct 2023
by Rob Moss 24 Oct 2023 I-Wei Huang / Alamy
I-Wei Huang / Alamy

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.

Office vs hybrid working

CEOs want full return to office, finds KPMG survey

‘Career consumerism’ requires a talent management rethink

Managing the risks of ‘working from anywhere’ requests (webinar)

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.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

 

HR business partner opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more HR business partner jobs

Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. Rob specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
Five approaches for HR to drive productivity
next post
‘Real’ Living Wage rates increase by 10% again

You may also like

Workers ‘wait and see’ as companies struggle to...

16 May 2025

Senior execs at BlackRock to work in office...

8 May 2025

Employers urged to do more to tackle loneliness

1 May 2025

Post-pandemic starters seek more pay for on-site working

10 Apr 2025

One in seven experience workplace abuse, finds major...

2 Apr 2025

Remote working isn’t bad – it just needs...

1 Apr 2025

Hybrid workers less sick and less stressed

28 Mar 2025

Dog owners more likely to want to work...

24 Mar 2025

Disabled workers disadvantaged by return-to-office mandates

13 Mar 2025

Five years on: how has work changed since...

12 Mar 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...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 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+