Tag: Hybrid working

UK employees spend less time in the office than global counterparts

Flexible-working is the new battleground for talent – with a number of employers and employees at odds with ways of working. The battle lines have been drawn up; one side UK workers, are spending less time in the office than any other country, while on the other is the UK’s Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, strongly urging employees to get back into the office to boost productivity. The clash of the cultures continues.

The conflict between flexible working vs working in the office rages on with no signs of abating. Last month Jeremy Hunt called for working in the office to be the new “default” contradicting the UK worker’s drive to work from home. He believes workers who permanently work from home are missing out on building team spirit and the “water cooler moments,” adding: “There’s nothing like sitting around a table, seeing people face to face.”  While admitting hybrid working had its benefits – especially for those with caring commitments and mobility issues – he worries long term about the “loss of creativity.”

THE RESEARCH

This is backed up by research from Right Management UK arguing 38% of senior business leaders believe remote workers are less likely to spend any time with their senior managers and 26% of senior leaders say hybrid workers are less likely to be considered for promotion.

However, this isn’t a view echoed by all industry leaders, with some believing flexi-working is critical to businesses retaining the best talent and maintaining a competitive edge, Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People, said the chancellor was looking at remote and flexible working through a: “Very narrow lens – especially as his opinions on office work bestows some mythical magic on the office.”

According to a recent study; Returning for Good, a Unispace Global Workplace Insights report,  it appears UK employees are firmly in the driving seat when it comes to knowing where and how they want to work – with only 34% of UK employees currently in the office four or more days a week – below the global average of 50%. Despite these comparatively low attendance levels, employees want to reduce the number of days spent in the workplace even further, with just 21% of workers in the UK currently happy to spend four or more days per week in the office.

This data highlights a gaping misalignment between the expectations of employers and employees, with 74% of UK firms expecting increased office attendance compared to only 53% of UK workers expecting to eventually be in the office at least four days a week. In the war for talent, enforcing working from home policies could be greatly damaging for employers with career progression at risk with 75% of businesses stating this is limited for hybrid workers. Some believe hybrid working has a negative impact on not only career progression, but also; pay rises, promotions and bonuses.

With the increasing demand for flexi-working, it appears, the mindset of employees keen to balance their personal and professional lives is unlikely to change – especially during the cost-of-living crisis driving up transport costs, for this reason alone, it makes economic sense to work from home.

Aside from recognising that many frontline workers are unable to work from home – no one can deny that hybrid working is here to stay in the UK – employers can’t push the genie back into the bottle! For working harmony, employers need to adapt and find a compromise which supports both business productivity and staff wellbeing. It comes down to a balancing act between meeting the needs of the business as well as the expectations of the current staff, as well as attracting and retaining the best talent. Rolling back on the flexibility gains seems counter intuitive and a huge step backwards and will certainly hinder an employer’s fight for hard-won talent.

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The organisation has lent over £3.5 billion to 3,300 businesses since 2014

Sonovate, the provider of embedded finance and payment solutions for the contingent workforce has announced an enhanced funding technology platform to enable it to better serve large, multinational recruitment businesses and launch new lines of products in the future as it continues to grow and expand its customer base.

The new platform gives customers the ability to optimise cash flow, allowing them to access funding in multiple-currencies and across multiple-sectors, with tailored pricing based on the risk profile of the industry being served to allow customers to secure the best possible rates. It also provides enhanced operational efficiencies with far faster onboarding, meaning funds can be accessed in a matter of days and firms can offer access to the liquidity that their clients need, while still offering attractive terms.  

Customers are able to view multiple ledgers across the new platform, whether they’re obtaining funding for invoices related to permanent or contract workers, or different subsidiaries of their business. Multi-ledger access also ensures that reporting requirements are quickly, easily, and consistently fulfilled both internally and in line with local market regulation. 

The enhanced capabilities of the new platform – particularly the accuracy of reporting, speed of reconciliation, and highly-scalable funding – will empower Sonovate to increase the number of large, enterprise-size customers that it serves.  

It follows a recent announcement that Sonovate is partnering with HR platform, Deel, to become the only funder to serve its global customer base. The partnership highlights the trend for recruitment businesses to operate in multiple markets as flexible and remote working becomes the norm for organisations across the world. 

Following a securitisation deal with BNP Paribas and M&G Investments, which added £165 million to Sonovate’s funding structure, it has already made strides in expanding the number of enterprise size customers it serves. The introduction of the new platform marks a step change for the organisation and will accelerate its growth trajectory over the course of 2023, particularly as it enters new markets including the Netherlands.  

Richard Prime, Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Sonovate, commented: “In uncertain economic times, ensuring a stable cash flow for a rapidly growing organisation can be challenging, even more so when operating in multiple markets. At Sonovate, we take ownership of that challenge on a customer’s behalf, providing them with the fast, flexible funding they need to grow and succeed. 

“Over the past few years there has been a mass global movement towards flexible working – be that remote or hybrid, contract, freelance, or part-time. Societal change has taken place, and now technology must keep pace. Traditional bank funding is often limited by cumbersome legacy systems that simply aren’t agile enough to quickly respond to the changing world of work and needs of rapidly growing, multinational recruitment businesses.  

“Fintech is different. Our entire offering is built around the changing needs of our customers, and this new platform is designed to grow and evolve with our customers as they enable the flexible future world of work across the world.” 

Since it started funding in 2014, Sonovate has lent over £3.5 billion to 3,300 businesses and 40,000 workers in 44 countries, and increased its revenue by over 51% from 2021 to 2022.  

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Mixed signals in tech job market for April

CompTIA has analyzed the US Bureau of Labor Statistics job data from April and found that the number of tech occupations decreased by 99,000, resulting in an increase in the unemployment rate for tech occupations to 2.3%. However, the report also showed that tech sector companies increased staffing by 18,795, marking the highest monthly hiring volume since August 2022. Despite the decrease in tech occupations, there was continued demand for tech talent, as employers listed over 300,000 job postings for tech positions in April. The IT services and custom software development sectors led the hiring pace, followed by cloud infrastructure, data processing, and hosting. The job postings for tech positions were dispersed geographically and across various industries, with the highest volumes occurring in administrative and support, finance and insurance, and manufacturing sectors, and in metropolitan markets like Washington, New York City, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Furthermore, the number of tech job postings specifying remote or hybrid work options rose to more than 65,000 positions across the US. The Chief Research Officer at CompTIA, Tim Herbert, stated that the April job data showed mixed labor market signals. The strong employment gains in the tech sector were offset by the pause in tech hiring across the economy.

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Hybrid working prevalent but not preferred.

Towergate Health & Protection has conducted a significant study across various industries and company sizes in the UK, revealing the current state of hybrid working. The study found that 30% of companies have most of their employees working from home and the office, while the average company has 39% of its employees working in a hybrid manner. Large companies have the highest percentage of hybrid workers, with 47% of their employees working in this manner. Only 14% of companies do not offer hybrid working options.

Despite the prevalence of hybrid working, more than half (54%) of employers are actively encouraging their employees to return to the office. To achieve this, companies are using various tactics, such as mandatory office days, free meals and drinks, access to a gym, onsite wellbeing days, more onsite social events, subsidized transport, and access to in-person counseling.

Debra Clark, head of wellbeing at Towergate Health & Protection, noted that incentivizing employees to return to the office will require a careful mix of incentives and health and wellbeing support. Many companies have already begun offering wider health and wellbeing support based at the workplace, but with hybrid working becoming the norm, these benefits will need to work harder to encourage people to return to the office.

In addition to motivating employees to return to the office, health and wellbeing support will be essential for those who continue to work from home. Working from home can lead to various health and wellbeing concerns, including musculoskeletal issues, mental health pressures, and financial strains. To address these concerns, support may include virtual physio appointments, online counseling, and financial education, as well as access to face-to-face support.

Clark concludes that as working styles continue to evolve, employers must also widen their health and wellbeing offerings to match. This includes a range of options covering all aspects of health and wellbeing, and varied communication methods to ensure all employees can access the support they need.

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Half of UK employees would choose great relationships with colleagues over a pay rise

Despite the cost-of-living crisis, 50% of employees would choose great working relationships over a 10% pay increase, and 35% said relationship building is the main problem for hybrid workers.  This is according to HubSpot’s 2023 Hybrid Work Report.

The UK hybrid working respondents were asked about their main reason for office visits. Fifty-one percent agreed that it was to connect with colleagues. A further 37% said they use the office to communicate more efficiently with colleagues.

The report revealed feelings and patterns towards hybrid working and revealed that 47% of UK workers would opt for a four-day workweek over a salary increase. Flexibility was also found to be a priority. When asked what they would choose to boost their productivity, 70% of employees picked flexible start and finish times.

The report’s findings indicate that employers should consider improving benefits packages to recruit and retain top talent. The report showed that UK workers who work from home would feel more motivated to visit the office if commuter benefits (58%) and catered meals (56%) were part of their packages.

Other big challenges were revealed, such as the management of remote employees (26%) and a lack of alignment between in-office and remote employees (21%).

Shockingly, 31% of employees said that they do not regularly feel engaged at work, and 44% consider themselves to be quitting quietly. Twenty-three percent feel they will be quiet quitting soon.

Regarding parental support, the report also revealed that the UK and Ireland are the least likely to make parents’ lives easier. For example, only 14% (UK) and 13% (Ireland) of parents receive childcare subsidies, compared to 37% in the US, 34% in Colombia, and 23% in Germany.

Concerning the number of days spent working at home, the UK is higher than the global average, with 18% of hybrid workers only visiting an office once a week and 34% spending two days in the office.

It was also clear from the data that employees want investment that fosters a strong culture, including engagement and team-building events (45%), communication and collaboration tools (36%), diversity, inclusion, and belonging (31%), and sustainability (26%)

Flavia Colombo, General Manager UK&I, at HubSpot said: “People clearly care about getting on with others in the workplace, but that doesn’t mean employers should scale back on flexibility or force people back to the office. Companies need to help employees find meaningful ways to connect both in-person and online by providing tools and support that work on a personal level. If failing to do so we will see a bigger impact on employees’ engagement, belonging and loyalty to their organisation and it will lead to higher attrition rates.

“It’s an employee’s market and people no longer accept the bare minimum in culture and benefits. Employers must distinguish what will nurture the sense of being cared for by an employer – whether that’s benefits, working hours or the right collaboration tools to boost morale and thus a sense of connection and purpose to the business.”

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49% of organisations in the GCC currently offer remote or hybrid working

Hays Middle East, part of Hays plc, the global workforce solutions and specialist recruitment company, has released its latest Salary Guide 2023 for the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC). The guide provides comprehensive salary data for over 400 roles across 13 industries across the region, with the latest workforce trends based on expert insights and the analysis of a survey of over 2,000 employers and professionals.

The guide has revealed that despite global disruptions, the GCC has remained stable, with continuous investment and diversification leading to a buoyant labour market in 2023, creating new jobs across multiple sectors and geographies in the region with this being exemplified by 85% of employers planning to recruit permanent employees. However, with 45% professionals looking to change organisations, greater competition for the best talent is to be expected.

Employers can leverage flexible working options to counter competition

Hays believes that offering flexible working options is a viable way for employers to counter the fierce competition. The guide shows that while only 49% of organisations in the GCC currently offer remote or hybrid working options, 20% of employers anticipate that employees will be required in the workplace more. Professionals place work-life balance and flexible working as a top priority when looking for a new job.

Addressing the skills dissonance is vital for future success

According to the report, employers and employees in the GCC have different perceptions of talent availability within their organisations. The guide indicates that while 82% of employees firmly believe they have the necessary skills to fulfill their role in 2023, only 35% of employers strongly agree they have the talent needed for the coming year. Employers and employees must work together to address this disconnect to ensure success in the future.

Growth on the horizon for Technology and Industrial Sectors, plus accelerated Emiratisation

The guide highlighted that technology remains the most active industry sector for hiring, with 77% of organisations increasing their headcount last year, thanks to consistent local and foreign direct investment in focus areas such as data, cyber security, and cloud solutions. Despite uncertainty in the global Technology sector, growth in the GCC continues at pace. Indeed, 88% of employers plan to recruit permanent employees in 2023.

In Saudi Arabia, the industrial sector is expanding at an exponential rate. With the Kingdom poised to take further advantage of its abundant natural resources and central geographical location, industrial diversification into new products and materials will lead to a focus on talent with experience, technical skills, and operational knowledge.

In the UAE, almost one in two (49%) of employers will ramp up their hiring of UAE national citizens this year as they work to meet Emiratisation quotas and diversify their workforce.

Sarah Dixon, Managing Director of Hays Middle East commented: “2023 promises to be a prosperous year for the labour market and the GCC in general, with new jobs being created across multiple sectors and geographies in the region through investment initiatives from a multitude of sources. The Hays GCC Salary Guide 2023 provides valuable insights for both employers and professionals, helping them navigate the recruiting landscape of today and stay competitive for tomorrow.”

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New research reveals biggest time wasters among staff

In 2020, huge UK businesses took to remote work, and 78% of at-home or hybrid workers reported that their work-life balance improved.

A new survey by Reboot Digital PR Agency, was conducted to find out how much time people waste working from home versus in person. The survey looked at 5,265 UK workers aged 18-65.

According to the results of the survey:

  • In-person employees waste up to 4.26 hours per week on non-work-related activities.
  • People who work from home exclusively waste 41% less paid time than in-person workers, at just 2.5 hours per week.
  • Socialising takes up 19.89% of non-work activities, with in-person workers spending over 2.5 times more time socialising (14.32%) than their WFH peers (5.57%).
  • Social media is a top time waster across the board, making up 35.27% of non-work related activities. At-home employees use up 12.04% of their working hours on social media, while in-person workers use 23.23% of their work time scrolling.
  • At-home (11.09%) and in-person (19.91%) employees admit to shopping online, sleeping, playing computer games, and job hunting during working hours.
  • 6.49% of all workers admitted to sex during working hours. Those working from home said sex takes up 5.09% of non-work activities (approx. 3.4 minutes a week), while in-person workers spend 1.4% of their wasted time, or 3.6 minutes a week, engaging in sexual activity.

Debbie Walton, Editor at TALiNT Partners commented: “While I do feel I am far more productive while working at home, there is something to be said about the camaraderie of the team when we’re all together. Collaborating and catching up makes the world of difference to team morale and I do feel invigorated when I leave the office on the days we’re all in together. All working models have their pros and cons. It’s important that everyone finds what works for them and is supported by their leadership teams.”

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Employees’ intent to stay at their jobs decreased by 37% in the last six months

According to The Conference Board, nearly a third of workers report decreased job engagement — the commitment and connection they feel to their work — but the shift to remote work spurred by the pandemic may not be the cause.

The survey found that work location — on-site, remote or a hybrid blend of the two — has no impact on self-reported engagement levels.

However, some people feel decreased engagement more than others. Women, millennials and individual contributors report lower engagement than men, older generations and executives.

A survey conducted by The Conference Board that polled more than 1,600 individuals — predominantly office workers — found that respondents weighed in on workplace culture, work location, compensation and benefits.

Robin Erickson, Ph.D., VP of Human Capital at The Conference Board commented: “Many workers have re-evaluated their priorities since the beginning of 2020 at the outset of COVID-19. Employees are not only demanding to retain the flexibility they gained from being required to work remotely, but they expect genuine and transparent communications to continue from their leaders as well.”

But even with lower levels of self-reported engagement, 82% say their level of effort remains the same or higher.

According to The Conference Board, more workers want to quit, but few have plans of actually doing so. Workers’ intent to stay at their jobs decreased by 37% in the last six months, but only 12% are actively planning to leave. Meanwhile, about 29% of workers are reconsidering their plans to quit due to the imminent recession.

Overall, the survey found that engagement levels decreased for all workers regardless of work location or schedule. However, most respondents report that having a caring, empathetic leader increased in importance to hybrid workers.

Rebecca Ray, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Human Capital at The Conference Board said: “While these results show that a likely recession may slow some of the high turnovers we’ve been seeing, engagement is eroding for many of those who remain. For businesses to truly thrive, they should focus on improving employee engagement, no matter the employee’s work location or schedule.”

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Senior leaders unaware or unwilling to alter approach to managing the workforce

According to the 2022 Culture Report on Tech-Enabled Employee Experience from Achievers Workforce Institute, companies where senior leaders accept remote work are 29% less likely to struggle with attraction and retention.

While employees’ desire for flexibility in the workplace is at an all-time high, senior leaders at many companies are unaware or unwilling to alter their approach to managing the workforce.

In fact, the number one reason that workers changed jobs during the pandemic was for better work flexibility, AWI said. Of the workers who have the option to be hybrid or remote, 85% said they prefer that option. However, two-thirds say company leaders expect them to be in the office at least part-time.

Likewise, 56% of leaders in HR say the C-Suite doesn’t understand this change in the workforce, and 45% say they don’t have support needed to make changes that will attract, engage and retain top talent.

Employer concerns

Dr. Natalie Baumgartner, Achievers Workforce Institute’s Chief Workforce Scientist said: “A major concern for company leaders is fostering a culture of connection and belonging with a dispersed workforce. We know that a strong sense of belonging drives a 3x return on a wide number of business outcomes. Many leaders believe that to achieve their desired culture, employees must be in the same physical space. However, the world of work has changed and so must our approach to creating a sense of belonging for employees. Employees are sharply focused on having an experience of connection and belonging, but they are confident they can achieve it while working from anywhere.”

Despite concerns over their performance, the research found that remote workers were equally as productive as those who worked in the office. It also found that employees are more likely to be engaged and advocate for their company when remote. They also have a tendency to trust their company leaders more.

In addition, HR leaders in companies that support remote work say they’re less likely to struggle when trying to attract and retain top talent.

The AWI study identified four types of technology that can foster the culture that both employees and company leaders are seeking: network, recognition, wellness and feedback. By implementing these systems, research shows that employers find an increase in engagement, belonging, trust and productivity, as well as their employees feeling valued and less burned out, overall.

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Hybrid workers are more satisfied than their counterparts

According to new research from Glassdoor, workers discussing hybrid work are far more satisfied in their roles than their non-hybrid counterparts. In addition, these workers are nearly half as likely to look for a new role as other employees.

Glassdoor looked at over 527,000 reviews by UK workers to examine how hybrid work impacts employees and their job hunting behaviour.

The findings show that ‘hybrid’ is a hot topic amongst employees: overall, mentions of the word grew 17 times year on year (up over 1,600%). In addition, positive discussion of ‘hybrid’ has soared by 3,682% since the beginning of the pandemic.

Anonymous reviews by employees showed that hybrid-reviewing workers rated their companies significantly higher for every workplace factor than non-hybrid workers, indicating that the former had greater satisfaction in their role.

Work-life balance showed the starkest difference for employees who mention ‘hybrid’, with a rating of 4.4 out of 5 versus 3.8 for those who don’t.

The research also revealed that while 25% of hybrid and non-hybrid workers click on job ads within a week of leaving a review on Glassdoor, those who do not mention hybrid working are almost twice as likely to start job applications. In total, 2.4% of hybrid employees applied to a new job within a week of leaving their review compared to 4.3 % of other employees – a 43% difference.

In addition to their data analysis, Glassdoor also surveyed 2,000 UK office workers to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of successful hybrid working patterns on employees.

The majority of respondents enjoy flexible working, with 71% of hybrid workers in full-time employment agreeing that they are happy with their arrangements.

When looking at the benefits of flexible working:

  • 58% said they were more productive
  • 63% were generally happier
  • 64% reported improved work-life balance
  • 74% said they enjoyed greater autonomy over their work
  • 66% were more able to attend to personal responsibilities such as caring for children or life-admin
  • 49% said they were less likely to look for a job because of the flexibility to switch between home and their workplace
  • 58% said flexible working helped them manage the increased cost of living
  • 23% said that commuting made it harder to cope with the increased cost of living

There are, however, negative aspects of hybrid working which show the importance of having good underlying policies in place:

  • 43% of hybrid workers have found it harder to connect to their colleagues,
  • 41% have struggled to learn from their peers
  • 41% have found it challenging to build a relationship with their manager or senior colleagues
  • 35% of hybrid workers feel that their working arrangement has stunted their progression

Lauren Thomas, UK economist at Glassdoor, commented: “In today’s tight labour market where there are record levels of job vacancies and unemployment is low, employees are the driving force for changing how we work. While some companies may be reluctant to allow hybrid working, Glassdoor’s research shows that workers are generally happier, more productive and less likely to consider leaving if they are allowed autonomy and flexibility over their working pattern.”

“However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the world of work post-pandemic. Companies need to introduce proper hybrid working policies for those who are at the start of their career, or are not managers, to continue to learn, flourish and make connections at work. The key to successful hybrid working is creating a workplace community and culture that supports employees professionally and personally.”

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