Across the world, more than half (53 per cent) of workers would prefer to follow a hybrid pattern where they spend more than half their working week out of the office.
Research shows that 82 per cent of employees feel as productive or more productive than before covid-19 changed working practices.
The research, carried out by Adecco, involved 8,000 office-based employees, managers and C-suite executives (aged 18-60) across Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the UK and the USA.
The research “provides insights on the gaps that employers need to close to position as an employer of choice in the emerging future era of work”, found the report.
Hours spent at work increased by 14 per cent in the past year and more than 50 per cent of younger workers in leadership positions reported “burnout”.
73 per cent of employees believe that their performance should be measured by outcomes rather than hours spent at work. Only a third of workers in non-managerial positions feel they are getting due recognition.
Australians, British and Canadian workers feel the most anxious about returning to work (53, 52 and 51 per cent respectively).
Mind, the mental health charity, says of hybrid working: “It’s important to recognise that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is unlikely to work, and engaging your staff early on is key to success.”
Mind has five key pieces of advice for employers moving towards a hybrid working model:
1 Engage your staff early on, and work out together what hybrid working means for your organisation.
2 Make time to check in with your staff on how they are doing and how the new arrangements are working for them. Encourage colleagues to remain open about their mental health at work.
3 Help employees build connections and encourage them to share what works for them in terms of hybrid working. This could be by arranging team days, or booking in calls or online lunches when employees are working remotely.
4 Consider offering some additional training to line managers around mental health and wellbeing to help them adapt to supporting a workforce in a remote or hybrid working environment.
5 Make use of Mind’s resources: including tips for managing remotely, a Wellness Action Plan for homeworkers and a guide for supporting employees with a mental health problem.
