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The hybrid battle rages on

The workers vs employer battle is still raging with most workers wanting a hybrid/home based role and most employers wanting a return to the office. Who will win?

Over the last four years, expectations of where you work have undergone a massive shift, with employees getting used to working from a home office and finding the cost and time of commuting to an actual office as a ‘significant deterrent’ according to a recent survey by the company Robert Walters.

According to this survey over 50% of professionals would seek a job move if they were required to work more in the office.

But that is not the whole picture since, in contrast to this, 36% say that working more days in the office would be a positive contribution to their routine.

So it seems that a flexible – and hybrid – working model is of great concern to many professionals, particularly when studies have shown that employers realise that there is a certain resistance to returning to the office, event though they would welcome it.

One of the first questions we get asked by candidates centres around hybrid and fully flexible working. One benefit that this brings is that it opens up the talent pool to businesses with employees’ home location not being a deciding factor.

Most employees embrace and prefer home working, but it seems employers do not citing productivity and management issues, trust and control in other words, as a barrier to success.

However, it can be argued that spending more time in the office (though not full-time!), can bring benefits such as more routine and more time face to face with colleagues and managers to get things done.

So who will win? Time will tell…

Grumpy Old Men (and Women) Rule!

It’s official – there are now more grumpy old men (and women) in the workforce than ever before! New data analysis from the Centre for Ageing Better has shown a large increase in workers over 65 still employed and part of the labour force.

One Million
The Centre based their findings on the official Office for National Statistics (ONS) Labour Market statistics, which show that the number has grown by nearly one million, twice the number recorded in 2000.

No surprise with the cost of living and the shrinking of pension pots over the last few years. Add in the fact that ‘older’ workers are healthier than ever before and 60 could be the new ‘middle age’. However, some may be working still because they want to, rather than through economic necessity.

Quality of Life
Either way, it would be interesting to see a survey on the quality of life of this age group and whether ‘having’ to work has a large effect on this and also if ‘wanting’ to work makes a big difference as well.

The figures show that nearly 12% of workers are continuing to be employed past their 65th birthday, up from 5% in 2000.

Zero Hours
It seems as well that a good proportion of these are on zero hours contracts which could show that they have retired from their occupation but found work elsewhere to boost their income. With the state pension age increasing who can blame them?

Obviously, this keeps the skills and experience of older workers in the workplace, but it must have an effect on the younger demographic who need to join at the bottom and start their career – if those towards the end of their career are not leaving the workforce it, you can’t fill it up at the bottom.

Rise of the Self-Employed
Unsurprisingly, older workers are more likely to be self-employed – in 2022, workers aged 60 and above accounted for one in six (17.4%) of all self-employed workers in the country, a big increase on the numbers in 2011. As well as this many mature workers will be part-time as the figures show only one in three are still in full-time employment.

Interestingly, looking at the age demographic of the Centre for Ageing Better, they seem to be a little behind the curve on this one, with 75% of their workers under 55 and 60% under 45!

More information can be found at https://ageing-better.org.uk/

To Move or not to Move?

Recent contradictory surveys paint a picture of an undecided workforce with one saying that 72% of workers are not looking to move jobs this year, whilst another stated that 40% plan to move jobs in 2024. Couple this with businesses saying that retention is an issue, and you have a confused picture of what is motivating employees right now.

Stick or Twist
Post Covid issues, which will no doubt be with us for a few more years yet, such as job security, the cost of living, pay rises, home working, work-life balance, flexible hours and career advancement have certainly been big factors in motivating employees to stick or twist. These all affect people differently in different occupations and sectors so no wonder the market seems confused in today’s changing employment market.

Losing Staff
It must be hard for employers to get their ‘offering’ right as the cost, in terms of time and financial, to replace staff is at an all-time high, without factoring in if they can even find someone to replace them, with a skills shortage being acknowledged across most industries. In fact, a recent survey has shown that nine in ten HR leaders worry about losing staff due to being unable to meet their demands for pay and benefits increases.

The Age Gap
As expected, the age of a worker and the career stage that they are at all play a part in their relative stability. Younger workers are more likely to move for financial and career reasons whilst mature workers value job security and loyalty within the workplace.

The rise of the second job, or side hustle, is also a factor here as well.

Reasons for Moving
The three most prevalent reasons cited for wanting a change were career advancement, more flexible working arrangements and a greater salary and benefits package.

Whether employers can address any of these issues, or even afford to do so, remains unclear. Large corporations can often provide great benefits and salary packages, but could an SME, bearing in mind that they employ huge numbers collectively and provide over 50% of the UK’s GDP?

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