Home working is ‘regressive’ for women claims Rachel Johnson

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Working arrangements for people have come under the spotlight this week after the Government’s guidance to work from home where possible was reintroduced. The measure was brought back into effect as Prime Minister Boris Johnson attempted to meet the challenge of rising Covid cases and the spread of the Omicron variant. But as workers are asked to compromise yet again, new research has revealed the changing opinions of UK employees with regards to their workplace arrangements.

An independent survey released this week by Soffos, an AI-driven solutions company, has revealed that UK workers are edging towards flexible working arrangements being awarded as a legal choice from their first day in a new job.

The survey gathered the opinions of 1,212 UK adults from a mixture of full-time and part-time employment.

In addition, its research was conducted between November 9 and 13 of this year.

Half of the people taking part felt they should have a legal right to request flexible working from their first day in a new role.

In comparison, 18 percent of respondents opposed the changes altogether, while 32 percent said that they were undecided.

The Government has now finished a consultation looking at making flexible working a default benefit for all UK workers.

Lasting between September 23 and December 1 of this year, the consultation’s findings are now being reviewed before a final outcome is published.

Businesses must take “firm action” to dispel any concerns that remote work is not as valuable as the in-office experience, according to CEO and Founder of Soffos, Nikolas Kairinos.

He said: “Clearly, businesses still have some way to go when it comes to making agile work arrangements the norm.

“To do so, they must take a clear line on flexible working policy, as well as finding ways to ensure that all employees receive regular FaceTime and support, irrespective of their location.

“While the government’s consultation is a step in the right direction, firms must be proactive in driving meaningful change.”

Moreover, the results of the survey showed that 40 percent of the participants want greater clarity from their employer about their long-term flexible working set-up.

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The research also made clear that flexible working was not something that all employers are keen to adopt.

In fact, one third of respondents said their organisation’s culture seems to remain opposed to flexible working.

Over the past 12 months 17 percent also said they had experienced at least one remote working request rejection from their employer.

Since the start of the Covid pandemic, many workers have been forced to adapt to a certain amount of home employment.

During all three of the UK’s national lockdowns, everyone – bar key workers – has been told to work from home.

The Government re-introduced guidance – which came into effect last Monday – to adhere to this rule once more.

Key workers, such as NHS and supermarket staff, are the only group of employees who have not been ordered to work from home during the pandemic.

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