Since January 2024, over a million UK workers have left their jobs because of a lack in flexible working. Younger workers are more likely to blame this.
According to a new study by the CIPD. The research found that employees are increasingly pressed to return to their offices, despite a persistent and strong desire for flexibility.
Three percent of the workers surveyed, or around 1.1m across the UK workforce, said that they left their job since January 2024 due to a lack of flexible working options. 53 percent of respondents said that they felt pressured to spend more office time. 14 percent of employers plan to increase the number office days.
The CIPD has now called on employers to adopt a more balanced strategy, warning that too rigid a return-to-office policy may negatively impact staff retention, engagement, and wellbeing.
Employee flexibility expectations and employer pressure
While most companies (91%) offer some type of flexible working there is still a push to return to the office. Around 51 percent currently demand a specific number of on-site working days per week. The most common is three. 14 percent also require a particular number of work days each month.
The respondents said that these policies are primarily intended to improve team cohesiveness, collaboration, and engagement as well as support onboarding and education. These objectives are at risk of being undermined by dissatisfaction among employees. According to the survey, 70% of employees claimed that senior leaders were pushing them to return to work.
Claire McCartney is the policy and practice manager for the CIPD. She said that there’s a mismatch between what employers want and what employees value. “Hybrid work has many benefits, including retaining and attracting talent and improving employee satisfaction. It also helps those with disabilities, health issues, or caregiving responsibilities thrive at work.
It doesn’t need to be either/or. It may be that you designate certain days in the office for team collaboration while still allowing flexibility to work on focused tasks at home. “There’s no perfect solution and many organizations are still trying to find the right balance.”
Four out of five workers said flexible working improved their quality-of-life. Third said that it positively affected their career prospects, a significant increase over the 22 percent reported in 2022. Just 53 percent of hybrid employers said that they had taken steps to make the office more attractive. This included improvements to the workplace, social activities, commuter assistance, and flexible scheduling.
Contract terms and legal clarity are scrutinized
Sam Greenhalgh is a partner in the employment department at Birketts LLP. He told HR Review that it’s becoming more common to have mismatched expectations, especially when the job roles aren’t clearly defined during the hiring process.
Employees are more likely to prefer a flexible work environment. The ability to work away from the office is seen as a valuable benefit. He said that employers, eager to attract talent often overpromise on what they want after induction, and this can lead to friction.
Greenhalgh said that lifestyle changes made by employees in order to accommodate hybrid work, such as changes to childcare arrangements or living arrangements, can lead to further tensions if employers change attendance expectations and flexibility later.
He said: “Employers and employees should start by focusing on the place of employment under their employment contract. In reality, it is equally important to retain and attract talent to manage expectations, whether through policies, comments, or promises made during the recruitment process or in general management.
He warned that young workers are more likely to change jobs and less likely to remain with an employer if they suddenly withdraw flexibility.
He said that both parties need to set expectations early in order to improve retention. “Employees can pursue a permanent move to their workplace through a flexible work request, and it’s often difficult for employers to refuse and avoid discrimination arguments.”
