New research has found that hybrid working is more popular among people in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK.

The study from Virgin Media O2 Business and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) found that, on average, Scottish employees want to work 2.8 days a week from home. This is a rise of 254% compared with before the pandemic.

For the UK, the average number of days people want to work remotely following the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions is 2.35 days.

Meanwhile, workers in the South West and North West of England expected the fewest days of remote working at two.

In addition, the research has also shown that Scottish respondents are enjoying a variety of other benefits linked to hybrid working practices.

On average, Scottish respondents enjoyed an additional 1.7 hours of leisure time per day when working remotely. Scaled up, that equals 442 hours per year or 18.4 days extra.

This means workers have greater control over their work/life balance and more freedom to exercise, relax or spend time with family.

Director of Large Enterprise and Public Sector at Virgin Media O2 Business Mike Smith said: “This research shows that embracing hybrid working can have concrete economic and societal impacts for Scotland and no doubt other areas of the UK.

“Now, business leaders need to ensure they are listening to their workforces and offer choice. This includes access to technology but also training with the relevant hardware, apps, and security. Supporting staff in this way will lead to happier employees, stronger sales and more modern and resilient regional economies.”

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Across the UK, business leaders polled by the CEBR said that increased remote working has resulted in a 4.9% increase in customer satisfaction, a 3.6% increase in employee satisfaction and a 3.4% increase in productivity since 2020.

In addition, hybrid working is making Scotland an appealing option for skilled workers from the rest of the UK. The research found that – of those employees who indicated a willingness to relocate thanks to remote working – Scotland could see an influx of 238,000 employees.

Assuming that employees would retain their current jobs and salaries before moving to the region and working remotely, the influx could lead to a £7.1 million injection into the Scottish economy.

This is the highest economic uplift of anywhere found by the survey.

Head of ICT at Fife Council Charlie Anderson said: “We’re excited by the potential benefits of hybrid working for the people of Fife and Scotland more widely. Giving people the ability to work from anywhere means local communities can retain their digitally skilled workers, and even attract new skills and investment to help bolster our local economy and society.

“This is essential to re-energising areas outside of larger cities such as town, villages and more rural communities.”

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