The Future of Work: Is flexible work here to stay?

US President Donald Trump’s recent ‘return to office or else mandate’ has made headlines across the world. Other high profile announcements, such as JP Morgan Chase requiring employees to be back in the office five days per week from March and Amazon’s similar move which affects about 8,000 staff,  seem to be  harkening back to a  golden office age.

But let’s be very careful here – often those who shout the loudest represent only a small and skewed view of what is really going on, especially when it comes to how we work.

Flexibility has arrived  

Soon-to-be-published research from Cpl’s Future of Work Institute on the changing expectations of work shows the importance of flexible working.

After remuneration, flexible working arrangements are ranked as the second most desirable compensation and benefit factor.

Conducted across 1,600 respondents and multiple organisations, it highlights that more than 70% of us avail of some form of flexible working.

After remuneration, flexible working arrangements are ranked as the second most desirable compensation and benefit factor when candidates are considering working for a new employer.

Here at Cpl, we went a little deeper to explore the types of flexible working arrangements that are being made available by employers. Overall we found that many are providing a mix or portfolio (more than three types) of different flexible arrangements. For example, Cpl’s approach to flexibility includes dedicated hybrid days, with Bank Holiday early finish Fridays, and the provision of career breaks dependent on various factors. 

The predominant mode of flexibility provided to employees (more than 54%) is centred on hybrid – which predominantly has a 3/2 or 2/3 split (home/office). Interestingly, those working fully remotely is approximately 12% and more than 7% avail of a compressed work week, which highlights a greater emergence of these ‘next generation’ working arrangements.

The flexibility advantage

Many of the organisations we work with at the Future of Work Institute are at the point in their own flexible evolution where they are starting to question, or at least reflect on, the long-term benefits of a hybrid approach. Commentary generally focuses on two related questions: Can we stand over the good conscientiousness of our employees when they are not as visible? Has our hybrid approach actually driven improved productivity? 

The research found that employees who work from home for two days a week are just as productive as fully office-based colleagues. 

There is a growing body of studies – more sophisticated and nuanced than the early studies in this area – that overwhelmingly highlight the benefits of a more flexible, hybrid model.

One of the most recent and useful studies, conducted by Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford economist, centres on an experiment with over 1,600 workers at Trip.com, a Chinese online travel agency. The research found that employees who work from home for two days a week are just as productive as fully office-based colleagues. Resignations due to the hybrid schedule fell by 33%. 

From a broader context, flexibility can enable employers to tap into a much more diverse workforce. A 2023 (and still relevant study) from the UK’s Commission on Hybrid and Remote Work found that 51% of businesses said offering hybrid roles increased their ability to hire people from different regions, 53% said the same about hiring parents or caregivers, and 42% for hiring those with a disability. 

From our own research, hybrid working should be seen as a potential strategic lever when it comes to creating a differential advantage over other talent competitors. We have found it is a key part of a modern employer value proposition. 

Making it work

It is a worthwhile and critical caveat to highlight that these improvements do not happen ‘on their own’. It requires strong leadership to maintain an approach that is both flexible and that works for the employee and employer alike. From speaking with employers, ‘coming into the office’ is often seen as a ‘hassle’ as employees have become used to a more flexible approach to how they work.

What seems to be emerging as successful strategic practice is the ‘Policy-Personalise’ approach. In essence, this is a setting of broad policies around flexible working whilst giving leadership the opportunity to personalise or customise their own approaches within the framework based on factors such as task type, level of employee productivity, changing conditions and more. 

Future focus

In reality, the flexible experience from a broad adoption perspective is still a  relatively recent phenomenon. Organisations are only now starting their journeys on how they can fully maximise impact and productivity across physical, digital and virtual working places. From our research we see opportunities for employers to think beyond the hybrid box and explore how the four work types (listed below) can be maximised for their employees across a blend of physical, digital and virtual places. 

• Process Work (repetitive work which may be complex but has a level of consistency)
• Project Work (work based on delivering projects within a finite time period)
• Purpose Work (work related to building culture, collaboration and engagement)
• Performance Work (work related to developing skills, knowledge acquisition and upskilling)

Leaders will increasingly need to include the use of these ‘places’  in their decision making in how to appropriately engage, motivate and maximise the potential of their teams. It is also likely we will see further moves by organisations in developing and innovating the ‘flexibility portfolio’ available to their employees. 

A differentiating opportunity

Ignore the naysayers. Flexibility is here to stay. The form that flexibility takes will evolve and adapt over time.

What is important is not to think about flexibility in a linear way but as a portfolio of opportunities that can be used to differentiate organisations for current and future generations of employees. All hail the flexible future.

Barry Winkless is CSO of Cpl, one of the largest talent and workforce organisations in Europe, and head of their Future of Work Institute, an advisory and research group focused on people centric, strategic change and innovation. He has over 25 years’ experience working nationally and globally for and with some of the world’s most respected brands and businesses. He was recently named as one of the top 50 global influencers on the Future of Work.

Read more from the Future of Work Institute here.