When it comes to the new world of work, the question being asked by workers across Northern Ireland is whether we’ll ever truly return to working in the office 9 to 5, or if hybrid working is here to stay. You may have your mind made up on the topic, but do you know what your employees really want?
Hays, the leading recruiting experts have been able to provide a valuable insight with their latest What Workers Want report, the result of a survey of over 4,200 professionals, gathering their views on whether the 9-5 is a thing of the past?
Around half of the employees surveyed would prefer to work in a hybrid way, in a mix between the workplace and at home. Around a quarter want to work fully in the workplace, and when it comes to working fully remotely, a greater proportion of professionals want to work in this manner compared to those employers who expect to offer this.
It’s therefore clear that one size will certainly not fit all when it comes to your hybrid working policy.
This is significant as 60% of professionals surveyed say they would be more likely to move to an organisation that offers hybrid or remote working permanently. Therefore, getting your hybrid working policy in place and promoting this when advertising roles could put you at an advantage when hiring. Conversely, if you don’t have this information available to prospective candidates, you may well be missing out on talent who is on the lookout for this flexibility.
It’s all well and good putting a hybrid working policy in place, but do your teams actually feel equipped to be able to work in this way? After all, it poses a completely different way of working to the way many have been operating over the last year.
The report’s findings show that employees are more likely to feel fully equipped to work as part of a hybrid team than employers. Of the employers surveyed, 57% said they only have the capabilities, skills and tech to manage a hybrid team an extent.
“Some of the employers I’ve spoken to have felt apprehensive about managing a hybrid team permanently, which is understandable,” says Matthew McArthur, Recruitment Consultant at Hays. “The What Workers Want survey has shown us that remote working agreements and handling poor motivation are the top two challenges expected by employers when it comes to hybrid working. Our Hybrid Working Hub has been a brilliant resource for Belfast businesses during this transitionary period, and the free training package has helped local teams become more agile and adaptive.”
If you’d like to speak to an expert consultant about your hiring plans or further practical recommendations to make hybrid working a success, contact our Belfast team on 028 9044 6911 or explore our Hybrid Working Hub here: Hybrid Working Hub | Hays
To download your own copy of the Hays What Workers Want 2021 report, click here: What Workers Want Report 2021 | Hays UK
