While hybrid working has become the norm since the pandemic, no dominant model has emerged yet on how best to implement these practices.
New research from Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE) and law firm CMS looking at the financial and professional services industry in Scotland has revealed that most firms are not enforcing any policy on minimum number of days and are encouraging rather than mandating a return to the office.
The report surveyed 46 companies from across SFE’s membership, ranging from insurance to banking, wealth management and consultancy.
It found that 87% of employers are offering hybrid working, up from 46% pre-Covid.
While 36% of employers do not require staff to attend the office on a set number of days, 36% are required staff to be in at least three days per week.
A further 81% of employers said job applicants ask about hybrid working approach at the first stage interview, and 77% have seen an increase in the number of applicants from outside of their usual catchment.
Gillian MacLellan, partner at CMS, said: “While hybrid has become standard practice, most businesses still lack clarity around how best to make it work in the long-term.
“Many businesses are focused on the everyday challenges, such as reconfiguring office space and agreeing an approach on the number of days employees should attend the office.
“Reaching the next stage will likely require businesses to identify balanced and mutually beneficial long-term solutions that harness the power of homes, offices, people and technology.”
Sandy Begbie, chief executive at SFE, said: “The growth of homeworking since the pandemic has deepened and widened an ongoing conversation on aspects of working culture and patterns, and created a real opportunity to improve practices and introduce more flexible approaches to support the needs of individual employees.
“While we accepted the need for enforced homeworking in the early days of the pandemic, the ongoing approach to hybrid working must be industry-led and both the Scottish and UK governments should trust businesses to do the right thing.”
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