Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Business

Getting young people back into the office will require carrots as well as sticks

by November 25, 2022
November 25, 2022
Getting young people back into the office will require carrots as well as sticks

You might be able to get toothpaste back in the tube, but not people. Flexible working is here to stay in the UK – as you can see from the fact that weekday ridership on public transport stays stubbornly beneath pre-pandemic levels.

Charlotte Boffey, UK Head of Services at Employment Hero looks at a survey of UK knowledge workers which found that while there had been a general “return to the office”, many workers were not returning full-time. A fifth were still working fully remote, and 42% were working in both the office and remotely – more than the 36% of people who had returned to the office full-time.

And a clear preference emerged too: 88% wanted to work at home at least one day a week. But this overwhelming preference for flexibility was not evenly distributed: Young people and non-managerial professionals were far more likely to prefer flexible working than senior executives and employers. 33% of 25-34 year-olds said they would likely quit if forced back into the office full-time, for example.

Despite all this – and the very tight labour market – some senior executives are still quite keen to see their teams come back full time, or at least more of the time. 43% of respondents who had returned to the office full time or part time since the pandemic said they had done so because their employer told them too, with just 19% saying they preferred working from the office.

If you’re one of those senior people pushing for a return, I have two bits of advice.

The first is to take a step back and reconsider how badly you want this. What is making you anxious about employees working from home? If you feel they aren’t being productive or you can’t keep tabs on them, it is unlikely that a forced return to the office will magically make them more productive. Getting an exact read on your culture through an anonymous survey could be a good first step to work out if your issues with remote working are really to do with remote working, or whether there are wider issues plaguing your workforce.

You should also consider the huge range of people who you are shutting out of working from your company by insisting on in-office working – a lot of amazing people around the region and the world could want to work for your company, but can’t move to where-ever you are based. And there’s a solid chance that some of your younger bright stars will just quit.

The second piece of advice, if you do still want to go through with it, is to consider making the office as attractive as possible. It can’t be all stick and no carrot. Our survey showed us some of the biggest reasons remote workers wanted to stay remote, asking what they did not miss about the office. 39% cited “the commute” as one of the top three things they didn’t miss, 20% cited waking up early, 19% cited the extra expense of food and transport involved with coming in, and 17% cited people interrupting them at their desk.

These problems are partially addressable. Offering to pay for an employee’s commute could make them seriously reconsider how often they want to come in, as could a slightly later start time, which makes most commutes much more bearable. A good coffee machine and a solid pantry of healthy snacks could also change the equation -although employers should also not forget the basics, such as a microwave and kitchen full of clean utensils.

The pre-pandemic office is not going to come back in full. But that doesn’t mean we’re all staying at home forever either. When venturing out into this new normal, humility will help – the way you did things in the past may not be as true and trusted as before.

Read more:
Getting young people back into the office will require carrots as well as sticks

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Farmers without solar panels could lose out on £1bn as Government weighs up clampdown
next post
Huge betting demand is coming towards Qatar!

You may also like

Innovations in Diesel Emission Control and Monitoring

February 23, 2024

Getting To Know You: Omar Meho, Music Producer

January 23, 2023

Bank of England cuts interest rates to 4.25%...

May 8, 2025

UK manufacturers urge MoD to channel defence spending...

June 2, 2025

Amazon protests erupt across UK as workers’ rights...

July 7, 2024

Skin.Club is making a real breakthrough in the...

December 9, 2024

Former Tesco chief invests in ‘spotify for textbooks’...

October 7, 2024

Mastering the Art of Business Growth: Essential Strategies...

January 22, 2024

Brits turn to ‘sweet treat economy’ for mood...

September 3, 2024

Live Dealer Games: Bridging the Gap Between Online...

January 2, 2025

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Blue state Republicans threaten rebellion if Senate changes key provision in Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’

      June 5, 2025
    • Ricketts, Fetterman team up for crackdown on China’s attempts to purchase US farmland

      June 5, 2025
    • Hamas working to ‘sabotage’ Trump-backed aid group with ‘fake news’: Israeli official

      June 5, 2025
    • Longtime Trump loyalist flips on GOP’s ‘big, beautiful bill’

      June 5, 2025
    • Supreme Court rules Wisconsin unconstitutionally discriminated against Christian charity

      June 5, 2025
    • Trump touts ‘very positive’ breakthrough with Xi after slamming China for trade violation

      June 5, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,147)
    • Investing (2,008)
    • Politics (15,529)
    • Stocks (3,128)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved