Over a million workers across the UK workforce have changed jobs due to a lack of flexible working since January 2024, with younger workers especially likely to cite this as a reason for leaving.
That’s according to new research from the CIPD, which found that pressure to return to offices continues to grow, despite a strong and persistent employee appetite for flexibility.
Three percent of workers surveyed – equivalent to around 1.1 million across the UK workforce – said they had left a role since January 2024 because it lacked sufficient flexible working options. At the same time, 53 percent of employees reported feeling under pressure to spend more time in the office, while 14 percent of employers said they planned to increase the number of mandatory office days.
The CIPD is now calling on employers to take a more balanced approach, warning that overly rigid return-to-office mandates may have a negative impact on staff retention, engagement and wellbeing.
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Employer pressures and employee flexibility expectations
Although most organisations (91%) now offer some form of flexible working, a return-to-office push is still taking place. Around 51 percent of employers surveyed currently require a set number of on-site days each week, most commonly three, while 14 percent require attendance on a certain number of days each month.
Respondents said these policies were primarily designed to improve team cohesion, collaboration and engagement, as well as to support onboarding and training. However, these objectives risk being undermined by employee dissatisfaction. According to the report, 70 percent of employees said pressure to return to the office was being driven by senior leaders.
“There’s a clear mismatch between what some employers are pushing for and what many employees value,” said Claire McCartney, policy and practice manager at the CIPD. “Hybrid working has benefits for employee satisfaction and attracting and retaining talent, often supporting those with health conditions, disabilities or caring responsibilities to remain and thrive in work.
“It doesn’t have to be an either/or situation. This may mean designating in-office days for team collaboration, while preserving flexibility for focused work at home. There’s no one size fits all and for many organisations, it’s about finding the right balance.”
The survey found that four in five workers believe flexible working has improved their quality of life. A third said it had positively impacted their career prospects – a strong increase from 22 percent in 2022. Despite this, just 53 percent of employers offering hybrid arrangements said they had introduced measures to make office attendance more appealing. These included workplace improvements, social activities, commuter support and flexible scheduling.
Legal clarity and contract terms under scrutiny
Sam Greenhalgh, partner in the employment team at law firm Birketts LLP, told HR review that mismatched expectations are increasingly common, particularly when job roles are not clearly defined at the point of hiring.
“Employees tend to favour a flexible approach to where they work and having the ability to choose to work outside of the workplace is seen as an attractive benefit. Employers, keen to attract talent, often over promise on what they really want post induction and this can cause friction,” he said.
Greenhalgh added that lifestyle adjustments made by employees to accommodate hybrid work – including changes to childcare or living arrangements – can cause further tension if employers later alter attendance expectations and flexibility.
He said, “Employers (and employees) should focus on what their place of work is under the employment contract as a starting point. However, management of expectation either through policy, comments or promises made at the recruitment stage or general day to day management is, in reality, equally important to attract talent and retain in.”
He also warned that younger workers tend to job hop more frequently and are less likely to stay with employers if flexibility is withdrawn unexpectedly.
“To improve retention, expectations need to be set early on by both parties,” he said. “Employees could pursue a permanent change to their place of work through a flexible working request and it is often quite difficult for an employer to justify refusal and avoid potential discrimination arguments.”
