One in four employees in the UK will resign if new flexible working standards get revoked

Personio has released the findings of a new survey conducted to investigate the impact of the global pandemic on the UK workforce and to find out if companies are prepared for a long-term digital shift.

The survey reveals that one in four workers would resign from their job if flexible working policies are revoked. More than 37% feel that their company is avoiding implementing new hybrid working paradigms like flexible working schedules, and are persisting with compulsory attendance.

However, only 12% of surveyed employees are dissatisfied with the way their employers have looked after them in these uncertain times, and a staggering 41% believe their employer is likely to permanently retain the flexible working hours introduced as a response to the pandemic.

The survey was conducted online by survey institute Appino on behalf of Personio and includes responses from 1,000 full-time employees in the United Kingdom.

The survey further reveals that businesses introduced various opportunities for their employees to adapt to the current situation. Almost half of all UK employees (43%) have the opportunity to work from home, a third (31%) also said they have been offered flexible working hours to adjust to the new balance between work and home life, and 22% were introduced to new digital tools for communication and organisation purposes.

According to the survey, one in three (34%) UK employees have been offered equipment such as chairs and tables. In addition, 33% indicated that they are being offered mental health support. Finally, at least a quarter of UK employees (26%) say they are being provided with on-going coaching on the emotional challenges of managing a work-life balance.

Due to the pandemic, 43% of UK employees say their employers have implemented hybrid working practices that are enabling them to work from anywhere. However, 32% are unsure if flexible working hours will become a permanent part of their company’s day to day operations.

“COVID-19 forced employers to introduce and trial new flexibilities to the daily work routine in an exceptionally short period of time. In most cases, it hasn’t had a negative impact on individual or company productivity. Employees across the world have now seen how flexible working could look in future, and quite rightly they will expect their company to have a plan for this. Now, businesses must work towards implementing the tooling and technology in the long-term to ensure they can continue to attract and retain the best talent in a hybrid world of work”, says Ross Seychell, Chief People Officer at Personio.

With the survey revealing that one in four UK employees will resign if these new flexible working standards are revoked, companies need to urgently consider adapting to a hybrid working model that enables their employees to work from anywhere on a schedule that best fits their needs.