Delay to ‘Freedom Day’ offers employers opportunity to rethink rush back to the office

This week, the announcement of a delay to ‘Freedom Day’ to the 19th July has left many employees rejoicing at their employers’ plans to bring them back to the office also being delayed as a result. With employers having left their employees feeling isolated in their original plans to rush back to the office, the announced delay is an excellent opportunity to rethink and re-strategise.

57% of under 35s – the critical mass of the UK workforce – said they were returning to the office with the worst mental health of their lives. To this end, employers adapting to this feedback from their original plans and leading with their hearts will be essential for businesses to survive the complexities of returning to the office and picking momentum back up in the process on the 19th July. Testament to this is the 51% of Brits who have seen the quality of their work and productivity increase following a year of forced flexibility and increased empathy from their employers.

A national study commissioned by consultancy and accounting disruptors, Theta Global Advisors, dissects the newly emotive measures that define productivity in the workplace and how, at its core, stand empathetic bosses who are responding to the very personal context to professional prowess.

Theta Global Advisors’ nationally representative research on the sentiments of British workers and businesses as to attitudes to the future of work shows:

Key Stats

· A quarter (25%) of Brits agree that despite working effectively over lockdown, their employer still doesn’t trust them to work flexibly or from home

· 57% of Brits say they are returning to the office with the worst mental health in their lifetimes *under 35s*
· 41% of workers in the UK agree that their employers are not managing correctly post-pandemic

· Over a quarter (27%) of Brits agree that a lack of empathy from their employers post-pandemic is resulting in their being less inclined to work hard for them

· 40% of Brits agree that given their experience over the last year, their employer forcing a strict return to pre-pandemic office norms would hinder their performance

· More than half (51%) of Brits agree that they have seen the quality of their work or their productivity improve due to increased employer empathy, flexibility, and working from home over the last year

Theta’s research shows that at the beginning of the pandemic, more than a third (35%) of Brits stated that returning to traditional office environments would have a negative impact on their mental health and productivity. Now, a year later, this figure has increased to 40% as Brits have adapted and developed an understanding of how they can best work post-pandemic, setting out their expectations of employers more blatantly than ever.

Employees have further proven that the mad dash on the part of employers to get everyone back to the office is is no way the best strategy as we develop post-pandemic. Over half (51%) of the British workforce saw the quality of their work and productivity improve over the course of the pandemic due to increased flexibility and working from home, showing that nuance will be essential.

Chris Biggs, Partner at Theta Global Advisors – a consultancy and accounting disruptor – has commented:

“Before the delay to the original easing of lockdown date was announced, employers across the country were seen jumping on the opportunity to bring all staff back. However, with this now delayed until the 19th July, employers are seeing a perfect opportunity to rethink these strategies and avoid disenfranchising their workers. Attitudes to the future of work have affirmatively shifted, and to ensure people are at their happiest and most productive, flexibility is needed in both where and when they work. Freedom from the office must also mean freedom to go to the office to account for different experiences, priorities, and conditions. New policies will account for substantial differentiations in employees’ experience of working during Covid-19. However, greater flexibility is still needed to account for different experiences and resources on a case-by-case basis. Working environments are looking like they will never return to what they were in 2019, changing very much for the better.

As such, while employers may instinctively want to see their staff back in the office and for work to go ‘back to normal’ as soon as possible, this is not necessarily the strongest or most sensible approach. Working culture and expectations have changed, and if approached with empathy and flexibility, will result in a far happier, more productive workforce delivering work of a higher standard than before Covid-19. Employees have proven they can be effective when given flexible options or working from home, and employers need to respond to this with trust and structured flexibility approaches allowing employees to alter as necessary.”