Younger Staff Push For Flexibility As Business Leaders ‘Struggle To Get Them Back Into The Office’

Posted by Liz Seyi on December 19th, 2022

If you are a business leader, what is your stance on employees of yours continuing to work from home or otherwise remotely in 2022? Do you see it as a positive development, or would you prefer your employees to base themselves back in the traditional office? 

There will inevitably be differing views on the issue, which is why it interested us to read a story from the LondonlovesBusinesswebsite, indicating that three in every five business leaders in the UK are struggling to get their staff to return to the office. 

Of particular intrigue to many people will be the finding from the research that younger people are especially likely to seek flexibility in their working arrangements and better workspaces. 

Employees care about how, when, and where they work 

According to the news outlet, an independent poll was commissioned involving 945 full-time employees within UK businesses, including 358 senior decision-makers. 

The survey found that more than a third (36%) of employees were considering switching jobs to somewhere with greater flexibility in working practices, whether such flexibility concerned when or where they worked. 31%, meanwhile, were seeking a more engaging workspace. 

Both the aforementioned numbers were especially high among poll participants in the 18-to-34 age bracket, reaching 53% and 48%, respectively. 

Unsurprisingly, then, 61% of decision-makers admitted they were finding it tricky to tempt employees back to the office. 39%, or two-fifths, were on the lookout for a new workspace to reflect their changing office needs. Among those who were actively looking, 56% said they were searching for a flexible workspace, while 44% were downsizing. Almost half – 45% – said it was difficult to find a space that suited their requirements. 

What should this new way of relating to the workplace mean for you? 

Clearly, the COVID-19 pandemic upended how great numbers of us work, but also how we think about the workplace. It certainly seems to have emboldened many of us to seek out flexible working arrangements where we may believe this would most suit our preferences and requirements. 

It is something that you will therefore have to account for in your own business’s recruitment and retention efforts if you are a decision-maker considering how best to manage your staffing needs. 

Failing to adapt to the fast-changing working world of 2022 could compromise your organisation’s ability to attract and keep hold of the talent it needs to stay competitive in this sector – so research findings like the above are ones you will need to heed. 

With our own expertise in the best in digital accountancy in Devon and Somerset here at TS Partners, we are well-placed to help your organisation modernise a vital part of its operations. Enquire to your closest TS Partners office today, and we will be pleased to talk you through our solutions and the ways we could work with your firm to help power its growth.