New insights from LinkedIn reveal a growing disconnect between what employees want and what employers are offering when it comes to remote working. At least 3 in 10 companies are planning to send their employees currently working from home back to the office due to “productivity paranoia”.
As a result, more than a third of employees say they would quit their job if they were told to return to the office full-time. The data is released ahead of the end of the four-day working week trial in the UK.
The trial, proven to be successful in areas such as boosting productivity, employee wellbeing and business finances, suggests that flexibility should continue to be championed in the workplace. LinkedIn found that compressing hours across a typical working week can boost workplace productivity, as over a quarter of employees believe working fewer hours across a working week would in fact motivate them to get more done in a day. 28% of workers say their work-life balance would also improve.
Charlotte Davies, Career Expert at LinkedIn said: “We’ve become accustomed to working flexibly since the pandemic and proven we’re able to do so with little to no impact on productivity levels. Coupled with the recent success of the four-day working week trial, there’s clear proof that people are motivated by flexibility. Yet, economic uncertainty is threatening to wind back progress in this area as companies navigate tough times, and employees are clearly concerned about the impact this will have on work life balance and their motivation levels.”
