• Just over a third (34%) of workers say their attendance to the office is being tracked by their employer
• 41% of workers say they are currently working in a hybrid way, compared to 39% in Autumn 2023
• 62% of males would consider applying for a job in the future if it didn’t offer hybrid working versus just over half (52%) of females 

Despite a continued push from some organisations for workers to return to the office more frequently, just over a third (34%) of professionals say their attendance to the office is currently being tracked according to new data released by Hays. 

Nearly two in five (38%) say their attendance to the office isn’t tracked, whilst 28% of workers aren’t sure if their attendance is being monitored or not. Large organisations are more likely to be tracking staff attendance, with nearly two in five (39%) staff working for a large organisation* reporting that their attendance is tracked.

The new research, based on a survey of nearly 12,000 professionals and employers, comes after Hays released data in Autumn 2023 revealing the highest recorded percentage of professionals working in the office full time (43%) since the pandemic. Currently, two in five (40%) workers say they are working full time in an office setting, followed by 41% working in a hybrid way and 19% working fully remotely.

Those working in the capital are still the most likely to be working in a hybrid way, as over half (53%) of professionals are working part in the office and part from home, compared to just 29% in Yorkshire (holding the lowest percentage of hybrid workers). 

Majority of workers feel trusted to work in a hybrid way

Over four in five workers (82%) say they do feel trusted to work productively in a hybrid or a remote way – despite some employers encouraging staff to make the most of office settings when they can.

Positively, majority of employers say their productivity levels have either improved since the advent of hybrid working or stayed the same. Over a third (36%) of organisations say they believe productivity has improved since the pandemic and the introduction of more flexible working options. 37% say they don’t think productivity has changed, whilst 27% believe productivity has declined. 

Overall workers are happy with their hybrid set up – but women would like more flexibility

Of the professionals working in a hybrid way, nearly three-quarters (72%) say they are happy with the balance of office and home working days. Over a quarter (26%) of female staff would like to be able to work more days from home, compared to 18% of males.

Similarly, 62% of men would consider applying for a job in the future that didn’t offer hybrid working, compared to 52% of women.  

Pam Lindsay-Dunn, COO of specialist recruitment at Hays, commented: “We’re a few years on from the widespread introduction of hybrid working – and yet some organisations still can’t make up their mind up on how they’d prefer staff to be working. 

For the majority, if it’s an industry where hybrid working is feasible – staff will expect working in a hybrid way to be available to them, often to help achieve a better work life balance. 

Although some staff may choose to spend the working week fully in the office, not offering hybrid working risks alienating those who can’t. What might seem like an easy commute to the office for some can be unfeasible every day for working parents for example, those with caring responsibilities or neurodivergent professionals who struggle to adapt to busy office settings.

Providing flexibility for staff where you can will always be preferred – and the proof is in the pudding with more employers than not saying productivity has either improved or stayed the same since widespread hybrid working.”

*Large organisation – between 251 and 1,000 employees

About the research: The research is based on a survey which was carried out between 26th February and 18th March 2024 and received almost 11,900 responses. 

The survey was completed by employers and employees from across the UK, working across a range of industry sectors and employed in various types and sizes of organisation in both the private and public sectors.  

Contact

Helen Flannery
Senior PR Manager 
helen.flannery@hays.com
T: 020 3040 0282
M: 07548 778306

About Hays

Hays plc (the "Group") is the world’s leading specialist in workforce solutions and recruitment, such as RPO and MSP. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK, Germany and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 31 December 2023, the Group employed over 12,300 staff operating from 249 offices in 33 countries. For the year ended 30 June 2023:

• the Group reported net fees of £1,294.6 million and operating profit of £197.0 million;
• the Group placed around 76,800 candidates into permanent jobs and around 245,000 people into temporary roles;
• 15% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 30% in Germany, 21% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 34% in Rest of World (RoW);
• the temporary placement business represented 57% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 43% of net fees;
• Technology is the Group’s largest division, with 26% of net fees, while Accountancy & Finance (15%) and Engineering (10%), are the next largest
• Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, the UK and the USA