Contrasting views on returning to office after home-working
Published: 03:08 PM,Aug 03,2021 | EDITED : 07:08 PM,Aug 03,2021
andyjalil@aol.com -
After a prolonged period of working from home, practically from the start of the pandemic, one in four employees in the City area — the financial district — of London, wants to continue working full-time from home, once the Covid-19 crisis is over, according to a poll by Accenture.
The consulting firm surveyed 1,406 UK based workers in banking, capital markets and insurance last month and found that 24 per cent would prefer to work entirely from home after a full return to the office is possible post-pandemic. More than a third (39 per cent) of respondents said they were willing to forgo compensation to enable them to work fully remotely in the future.
Around 70 per cent of respondents to Accenture’s poll said the introduction of a flexible working schedule would help them adjust to working life post-pandemic, while 69 per cent of poll participants said that they would prefer to work just two days a week or fewer in the office in future.
The UK and Ireland banking strategy lead at Accenture, Laura O’Sullivan, said the survey findings signalled “loud and clear that the majority of employees at all levels want the pre-pandemic routine to be a thing of the past.”
She said: “The focus needs to move not only to where employees are doing their work, but how they are doing their work. It’s about making employees productive wherever they are.” O’Sullivan added: “We are only at the start of the changes that will be needed in tooling leadership behaviours and employee experience to make these new ways of working a long-term solution for thriving teams. This is a great opportunity to reimagine the employee experience.”
Firms who fail to respond adequately to employees’ needs post-pandemic could face a staff exodus Accenture’s research found. One in four (27 per cent) felt additional pressure from Covid-19 had not been taken into consideration by their employers, while a third (34 per cent) said they had considered or are considering leaving their current firm.
Meanwhile, about one in ten of respondents said they had considered leaving or did not intend to return to the financial services industry altogether. Stress and lack of work/life balance were cited as motivating factors behind their decision.
In contrast to the view expressed for preference for working from home there is an argument in favour of working from the office or dividing time between the two. The pull of returning to the office might be “bigger than we anticipate”, the Bank of England’s (BoE) chief operating officer has said.
“We anticipate that the number of staff in our buildings will increase over time and that — in accordance with a recent study of the personal preferences of BoE employees — staff will average about three to four days in the office and around one to two days from home,” said Joanna Place at a virtual event for the Investment Association last month.
“My own personal view is that the pull of the office might be a bit bigger than we anticipate.” During the event, focused on the future of the world of work, Place said the central bank would be asking staff to work for at least one day per week in the office from September. The guidelines issued by the BoE encourages teams to have “regular ‘team days’, where staff are encouraged to engage in collaborative work and on building social capital”.
Firms across the City have been announcing plans to roll out a hybrid working setup, which would see employees split their time between the office and home. (The writer is our foreign correspondent based in the UK)
After a prolonged period of working from home, practically from the start of the pandemic, one in four employees in the City area — the financial district — of London, wants to continue working full-time from home, once the Covid-19 crisis is over, according to a poll by Accenture.
The consulting firm surveyed 1,406 UK based workers in banking, capital markets and insurance last month and found that 24 per cent would prefer to work entirely from home after a full return to the office is possible post-pandemic. More than a third (39 per cent) of respondents said they were willing to forgo compensation to enable them to work fully remotely in the future.
Around 70 per cent of respondents to Accenture’s poll said the introduction of a flexible working schedule would help them adjust to working life post-pandemic, while 69 per cent of poll participants said that they would prefer to work just two days a week or fewer in the office in future.
The UK and Ireland banking strategy lead at Accenture, Laura O’Sullivan, said the survey findings signalled “loud and clear that the majority of employees at all levels want the pre-pandemic routine to be a thing of the past.”
She said: “The focus needs to move not only to where employees are doing their work, but how they are doing their work. It’s about making employees productive wherever they are.” O’Sullivan added: “We are only at the start of the changes that will be needed in tooling leadership behaviours and employee experience to make these new ways of working a long-term solution for thriving teams. This is a great opportunity to reimagine the employee experience.”
Firms who fail to respond adequately to employees’ needs post-pandemic could face a staff exodus Accenture’s research found. One in four (27 per cent) felt additional pressure from Covid-19 had not been taken into consideration by their employers, while a third (34 per cent) said they had considered or are considering leaving their current firm.
Meanwhile, about one in ten of respondents said they had considered leaving or did not intend to return to the financial services industry altogether. Stress and lack of work/life balance were cited as motivating factors behind their decision.
In contrast to the view expressed for preference for working from home there is an argument in favour of working from the office or dividing time between the two. The pull of returning to the office might be “bigger than we anticipate”, the Bank of England’s (BoE) chief operating officer has said.
“We anticipate that the number of staff in our buildings will increase over time and that — in accordance with a recent study of the personal preferences of BoE employees — staff will average about three to four days in the office and around one to two days from home,” said Joanna Place at a virtual event for the Investment Association last month.
“My own personal view is that the pull of the office might be a bit bigger than we anticipate.” During the event, focused on the future of the world of work, Place said the central bank would be asking staff to work for at least one day per week in the office from September. The guidelines issued by the BoE encourages teams to have “regular ‘team days’, where staff are encouraged to engage in collaborative work and on building social capital”.
Firms across the City have been announcing plans to roll out a hybrid working setup, which would see employees split their time between the office and home. (The writer is our foreign correspondent based in the UK)