Many employers are nonetheless fighting the long-term results of the Covid-19 pandemic, 5 years after the primary UK lockdown started, in line with the CIPD. Whereas the pandemic led to important modifications in working practices and an elevated give attention to worker wellbeing, challenges round productiveness and financial inactivity persist. The pandemic introduced widespread upheaval, with many individuals experiencing job losses, enterprise closures, and the lack of family members. Nevertheless, the CIPD argues that it additionally prompted constructive modifications within the office, together with better flexibility in working preparations and elevated adoption of know-how to assist collaboration. Regardless of these developments, many companies proceed to face difficulties, notably because the cost-of-living disaster and financial uncertainty exacerbate the challenges of workforce engagement and productiveness.
CIPD analysis means that extra staff now have versatile working preparations, with 60 % of UK employees in early 2023 reporting that they had some type of flexibility of their position, a rise from 54 % in 2019. Hybrid working additionally stays a key function of the trendy office, with 41 % of UK organisations having formal insurance policies in place and an additional 24 % adopting an ad-hoc strategy. Solely 9 % of employers don’t allow hybrid working in any respect.
Nevertheless, the shift in work patterns has additionally led to modifications in worker attitudes. In 2024, almost half of staff (47 %) considered their job as merely a method to earn cash, in comparison with 38 % in 2019. Moreover, the proportion of staff prepared to place in additional effort at work has declined, with simply 51 % stating they might work tougher than essential to assist their employer, down from 57 % 5 years in the past.
In response to those challenges, the CIPD is urging organisations to stay open to new methods of working, together with exploring how versatile work and rising applied sciences, akin to AI, can assist tackle long-standing points. The organisation emphasises the significance of evidence-based decision-making when figuring out the best working preparations, warning that any transfer away from hybrid or distant work needs to be justified by clear enterprise wants.
Peter Cheese, chief government of the CIPD, stated that whereas the pandemic itself has handed, its results are nonetheless being felt. He highlighted the continued affect of lengthy Covid and the pressure on psychological well being, reinforcing the necessity for versatile work and wellbeing assist. He additionally famous that many employers are nonetheless struggling to outline a “new regular” within the office, notably in balancing flexibility with productiveness and collaboration.
Cheese pointed to the regarding rise in financial inactivity for the reason that pandemic, in addition to the growing variety of staff who view work purely as a monetary necessity. He known as for better employer engagement in authorities initiatives akin to “Get Britain Working” and “Hold Britain Working” to assist tackle these points.
The CIPD additionally warns that employers should contemplate versatile work choices that transcend distant and hybrid fashions. It encourages organisations to discover alternate options akin to flexitime, compressed hours, job-sharing, and term-time working to assist employees in frontline roles.
To fight declining worker engagement, the CIPD is asking for better funding in abilities growth, higher coaching for line managers, and a give attention to creating constructive, collaborative office cultures. Cheese burdened that there is no such thing as a single answer to the challenges going through companies, urging organisations to keep up the identical openness to vary that they demonstrated in the course of the pandemic as they navigate the evolving world of labor.
