Half of UK employees threaten to quit of their employer does not offer flexible working, according to new research by Velocity Smart Technology.
Within the UK, 48 percent of UK businesses are insisting employees get back onto the office.
However, 47 percent of workers would walk away if they did not receive any flexibility.
This rises to 60 percent for Generation Y (25-34 year olds).
Returning to the office
The call for employees to return the office, at least on a part time basis, has not been well received.
It has upset nearly a third of UK employees (32%), which rises to 44 percent of employees aged 25 to 34, making them 74 percent more likely to look for another job if they don’t get the flexibility they want.
People are happier with this flexible way of working with a third (34%) insisting their mental health has improved since being allowed to have more flexible working.
Anthony Lamoureux, CEO of Velocity Smart Technology, said, “As the research confirms, employees don’t just expect flexible working, they are actively making career changes to better suit their commitments outside of work. Whether that is flexible hours, locations or a mixture of both. Employees that are not offered the chance for flexible, remote or asynchronous working will walk – straight into another job.”
These figures should raise alarm bells for businesses already scrambling to avoid the cost and disruption associated with staff turnover. Companies have experienced a huge spike in job moves in recent months, and almost seven in every 10 UK employees 69%) say they feel confident to move to a new job in the next couple of months.
Lamoureux continues, “Employees have rediscovered the joys of taking time to be outside during the working day, from walking the lock-down dog to managing side jobs, substantial numbers of individuals now recognise the nonsensical nature of the old nine to five. It now needs to become an essential part of recruitment and retention strategies for businesses to firm up flexible employment models – or else, they may be left without an office to fill.”
It is important that business leaders can support more diverse and asynchronous working practices to keep pace with competition and retain employees.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
