Three days in office is optimal hybrid working arrangement

Three days a week in the office is the optimal hybrid working arrangement for culture and performance, research into employees’ experiences has found.

A study looking into the experiences of 1,400 full-time workers in desk-based roles found that people who spend three days a week in the office are more likely to have career development conversations with their manager and generate new ideas, while those in the workplace for four days are able to make faster decisions when faced with challenges or opportunities, and are more likely to agree that decision-making processes are transparent.

Employee engagement agency Ipsos Karian and Box found that 67% of full-time desk-based workers are spending three or more days a week at their employer’s location. Two in five of these work in the office full-time.

Only half of those polled were spending their preferred amount of days in the office, suggesting organisations’ hybrid working arrangements are not meeting the needs of their people.

Ghassan Karian, CEO of Ipsos Karian and Box, said: “In the responses to our survey, three days in the office came out as the optimum solution. It strikes the right balance that realises the benefits of office working for both employer and employee, while also giving individuals the ability to think, work and manage their home lives in a flexible way.”

When employers give their staff flexibility over the days they want to spend in the office, only 35% spend two to four days in the workplace. However, when an employer sets specific days, 60% of employees spend this amount of time in the office.

Only 27% of those polled worked for an employer with a fully flexible approach to hybrid working. This group were the most likely to recommend their employer as a great place to work, while those with no hybrid working policy and a much higher office presence were the least likely to advocate working for their employer.

Asked about the positives of working from home, 37% said a better work-life balance is one of the biggest benefits they see, followed by saving commuting costs (34%), having a more flexible schedule (33%) and a comfortable working environment (24%).

Those who spend more time working from home also report less strain. Thirty-six per cent who work remotely report feeling under constant strain at work, compared to 45% of hybrid workers and 40% of those who work solely at their employer’s location. However, loneliness is an issue among younger workers who spend more time at home.

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