Eight in 10 UK office workers said their employers have not prepared effectively for flexible working following ‘Freedom Day’ today (19 July).
The research by online venue booking platform VenueScanner and conducted by Sapio was based on survey responses from 1,000 employees. It revealed that only one in five expect to be fully office-based after lockdown restrictions lift completely in England and despite many continuing to work mainly from home, only a fifth of employers (19%) have shared what future place of work options there are for staff.
Almost three-quarters (72%) of respondents believe that disgruntlement due to the wrong actions by their employer over place of work choices might make them quit their job. Just over a quarter (26%) of 18 to 24-year-olds would consider leaving if team socials and Christmas parties were scrapped and a third (31%) of 35 to 44-year-olds would think about doing so if working from home was banned altogether.
The research also highlighted that while many will be working from home, in person contact is crucial to staff mental health and performance, with 86% stating this was important for their mental health. A total of 83% said face to face contact was important for job satisfaction and 82% believed it made a difference to performance and productivity.
Rebecca Kelly, CEO and founder of VenueScanner, commented that the future of work is set to be flexible, but while employees do not need to be sitting next to each other to get work done, they do need to get together to create, to celebrate, to collaborate and to feel connected now more than ever.
“The traditional office worker looks to be a thing of the past but employers must be able to facilitate positive in person experiences if they want to attract and retain the best people, drive productivity and look after their employees’ health and wellbeing,” she said.