Additionally, nearly half (46%) cited the expenses related to returning to the office as a major deterrent. These insights emerge from a recent survey of 2,000 UK professionals conducted by the specialist international recruitment firm, Robert Walters.

In contrast, a survey by KPMG revealed that 63% of UK CEOs anticipate a complete return to the office by 2026. Despite these predictions, the Robert Walters 2024 salary survey indicates that hybrid working continues to rank among the top three desired benefits in every professional sector.

Chris Eldridge, CEO of Robert Walters UK, comments: “The pandemic not only opened the door to hybrid-working but made it a mainstay in many companies. It also proved that there just isn’t a one-size-fits-all option when it comes to ways of working and keeping productivity levels up across a workforce.

“Leaders attempting to jump the gun and implement a full return-to-office are quickly going to run into trouble – as it’s clear that many professionals won’t readily give up the flexible working routines that they’ve spent the last 3-4 years getting comfortable with.”

“Our research shows that gone are the days where employers competed for talent on salary alone – so having a clearly defined hybrid working model will be a key ‘benefit’ to leverage for candidate attraction and retention this year, particularly where hiring budgets remain stringent.”

Primary issue in the 2024 workplace

45% of professionals stated that ‘changes to hybrid-working’ will have the biggest impact on workplaces this year – before changes to rewards & benefits schemes (20%), advancements in generative AI (19%) and effective leadership (16%).

Chris comments: “Whilst our research indicates that professionals are anticipating changes to the way we work this year, hybrid-working isn’t something employers can just take away without offering some incentive or compromise.”

Office deterrents

The main reasons for professionals not wanting to spend more days in office were associated costs (46%), disruption to their work-life balance (28%), long commutes (16%) and too many distractions at work (10%).

Chris comments: “With inflation still high and ongoing concerns over the cost of living, spending money on the commute to work, buying lunch amongst other expenses presents yet another key obstacle for professionals returning to the office.”

Office attractions

However, when it comes to what is drawing professionals back to the office – over a third (36%) stated more days in the office helped with their weekly routine. Other advantages were brainstorming with colleagues (26%), in-person meetings (24%) and more facetime with senior figures (14%).

Chris comments: “The benefits of working in the office are clear – just by being a more familiar face around the office, on-hand to help or engage with your colleagues on projects and being recognisable to senior leadership can hold you in good stead for half-year promotions.

“There are a host of other benefits such as exposure to new skills, gaining mentorship from senior colleagues and generally feeling more connected to the workplace culture and community.”

Full RTO not expected – yet

That is not to say that a full return-to-office across professional services is on the cards for the next 12 months. The Robert Walters poll also found that 73% of company leaders said they wouldn’t issue a full return-to-office this year, even if it didn’t impact retention.

Chris comments: “There is definitely a balance to strike with flexible working. If more days in office are what companies want – the onus is on senior leadership teams to make the office the heart of their work community and inform professionals of what can be gained by returning.”

Chris Eldridge shares his top three ways to get employees back into the office:

• Assisting with employee spend – things like subsidising travel, providing breakfast or lunch packages are relatively low-cost incentives that make a huge difference to professionals’ daily costs and budget.
• Upscale mentorship/training opportunities – having a mentorship programme or additional training opportunities in the office provides a significant draw for professionals looking to upskill.
• Organise brainstorming sessions or interactive Q&As with senior figures – having a more open, collaborative and communicative culture can be a big draw for professionals returning to the office – as it is something many will want to get involved with.