A survey of UK workers has found that 51% would quit if their workplaces stopped offering hybrid working.

Conducted by Microsoft and YouGov, the new research has provided additional evidence for the popularity of hybrid working. The groups noted that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic means that employees now view hybrid working as a “must-have” instead of a “nice to have”.

The popularity of hybrid working among employees was backed by HR decision makers, with 59% of those surveyed saying that the practice has had a positive effect on the mental wellbeing of their workforce.

In addition, the survey warned of other risks posed to businesses if they don’t offer a hybrid working model. 38% of UK HR professionals said that not offering remote working hampered their ability to retain talent and risked losing staff to organisations that offer hybrid working.

25% said that full, in-office work hampered productivity, while 24% said it harmed wellbeing. 23% of respondents said it risked causing burnout, as well as preventing them from keeping up with their industry competitors.

However, these benefits come with many challenges. Difficulties with onboarding during the pandemic mean that 36% of UK workers who started since coronavirus hit said the entire process took place without going into the office.

Meanwhile, 42% of these workers said they have struggled with forming working relationships, while 33% said they did not have a manager or team “in the room” to ask for guidance.

In addition, 36% of HR decision makers added that they felt remote onboarding makes it hard to provide effective, role-specific training for new starters and 35% voiced concerns about ensuring employees have easy access to the information they need to start. A further 28% said they were worried about upholding their organisation’s culture and reputation.

Director of Modern Work Business Group at Microsoft UK Nick Hedderman said: “The pandemic has proven that organisations can trust their people to be productive wherever they are. They now have an opportunity to reshape work around individual roles, preferences and even personal lives.

“This is achievable through tech-enabled hybrid working models, which supports the creation of a rich digital culture to benefit everyone, helping to attract and retain top talent.

“HR professionals, leadership teams and IT can work together using digital tools such as Microsoft Viva to create an employee experience platform to serve their organisational needs, such as making the onboarding process rewarding and inclusive for new staff. In doing so, there is a much higher chance of those new hires becoming long-term employees.”

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Perhaps no social trend has been as emblematic of the Covid pandemic as the rise of remote working. While fears about the Omicron variant mean hybrid working will likely persist, its long-term future is still up for debate.

Workers have mostly embraced the possibilities offered by remote working. These include removing long commutes, greater flexibility in their schedules and being able to work from different cities.

Some workers have even shown they prefer to work fully remote in the future.

Companies have generally shown to be accommodating over remote working. Research found 71% of UK SMEs plan to offer hybrid working indefinitely. Meanwhile, larger companies such as Apple have shown that they are open to continuing hybrid practices.

However, the working from home has also blurred the lines between work life and home life. This has led to calls for a ‘Right to Disconnect’ being written into law, preventing companies from contacting their employees outside of designated hours.

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