Most employees in the UK want to keep their remote and flexible working options after the pandemic, but don’t think their bosses are willing to oblige.
These are the conclusions of Microsoft’s latest report, based on analysis of national lockdowns and the effects on office workers.
According to the report, almost three quarters (71 percent) of UK workers want some flexible working options to stick around. More than a third (37 percent) said they are eyeing up a relocation and a third said they are more likely to be their “full authentic” selves at work this year.
However, they also said they were under the impression that their bosses don’t feel the same way. A fifth (20 percent) of UK respondents said their company doesn’t care about their work-life balance, the majority feel overworked and exhausted, while just a third described themselves as “thriving”.
Most of Gen-Z workers are either struggling or surviving, the report found. On the other hand, almost half (43 percent) of leaders said they were thriving.
All of this could lead to an “upheaval in many sectors”, Microsoft concluded, as plenty of workers (and the majority of Gen-Zers) are thinking about switching jobs in the next year.
“Hybrid working won’t happen by accident; there are months and years of experimenting and refining ahead,” said Nick Hedderman, Modern Work and Security Business Group Lead at Microsoft UK.
“Leaders will need a clear strategy, reshaping work around individual roles, preferences and even personal lives. Employee wellbeing should be at the forefront of the hybrid work strategy, to foster an accessible, innovative and supportive culture, where everyone is inspired and no one is left behind.”
