Returning to the office ‘more about appearance than purpose’

Nearly half of UK managers admit that returning to the office is more about appearance, according to new research from Indeed.

The study found that 44% of managers and 55% of employees believe that asking teams to return to the office is less about purpose and more about maintaining appearances.

Despite this, more than half of managers (57%) told Indeed they expect employees to return to the office full-time within two years.

Nearly half of employees (46%) said their organization views returning to the office as a “panacea” for their problems, with a majority of executives (54%) saying this is the case.

More than half of managers (56%) said they prefer employees who come into the office more often, and 43% of employees were aware of this.

In the same week that Starling Bank employees quit due to company demands to spend more time in the office, Indeed found that only 17% of employees said they were willing to go into the office more than expected. Six in ten agreed that the government should strengthen employee rights to work from home.

One of the conditions that UK workers view positively is the four-day working week: 82% of employers said this could become a reality for their company in less than five years, and 67% of employees believe they could fit their workload around shorter working hours. week. Fifty-nine percent of employers would welcome increased rights to introduce this.

But while the government has promised to give workers the right to switch off, only 49% believe managers won’t continue to contact them outside of work hours. The same number said they felt the need to respond immediately to work communications.

Senior leaders appear to be the driving force behind this culture, with 44% admitting to feeling pressure to stay online or in the office after hours, even if they have completed their work. Similarly, employees believed that if senior managers worked five days despite a shorter workweek, this would spread to more junior employees.

Danny Stacey, Head of Talent Insights at Indeed UK, said: “Flexible working policies are a great tool for companies looking to attract and retain the best talent, given the importance that employees clearly place on working in a way that suits them.

“What this looks like will vary between industries and individual businesses, but the good news for employers is that different forms of flexibility are gaining popularity. For example, not every business can offer remote work and may instead introduce a shorter work week or flexible hours.

“In our research, employees made it clear that business leaders are setting the tone for flexible working. Organizations that believe in flexibility and want to embed it in their culture must ensure that senior employees lead by example so that employees at all levels feel empowered to follow suit.”

Latest HR vacancies on Personnel Today

View more HR jobs