Aug 2023

• The majority (93%) of employees say it is important for an organisation to be transparent about the flexible working options they offer
• Almost half (47%) of professionals would be tempted to change jobs if an organisation was more transparent about the flexible working options they provide
• Over a third (37%) of employees say their use of hybrid or remote working is not included in their contract
• Most (84%) professionals say it would be important for hybrid or remote agreements to be included in their contract for a new role

Most professionals value transparency when it comes to the flexible working options an organisation offers, such as hybrid working or flexi-time, but many say their flexible working agreement is not included in their contract, according to new research by Hays. Flexible working patterns challenge the traditional Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 routine spent in the office, and instead offer different ways of working to contribute to a positive work-life balance. 

In a survey of over 8,800 professionals and employers across the UK, almost half (47%) of professionals would be tempted to change jobs if an organisation was more transparent about the flexible working options they provide. 

The importance of transparency is clear

As it stands, over half (53%) of employers believe transparency around their organisation’s approach to flexible working is very important to help attract staff, followed by 34% say quite important. Only 8% of employers believe flexible working transparency isn’t very important for talent attraction, and 5% say not important at all.

Most (93%) professionals say it is important for an organisation to be transparent about the flexible working options they provide, whereas only a small number of employees say transparency isn’t very important (5%) or not important at all (2%). 

Almost half (47%) of employees would be tempted to change jobs if an organisation was more transparent about the flexible working options they provide. The majority (90%) of employees think it’s important to have easy access to an organisation’s flexible working policy when looking for a new role. 

Professionals want flexible working policies in writing 

Whilst majority (84%) of professionals say it would be important for hybrid or remote agreements to be included in their contract for a new role, over a third (37%) of professionals say their use of hybrid or remote working is not currently included in their contract, meaning many employers could change hybrid policies at any time.

In terms of taking on board the opinions of professionals when it comes to flexible working, 43% of companies say they don’t ask their staff for feedback on ways of working. Nearly half (49%) of employees say their organisation always shares feedback from surveys with them, whilst 40% say sometimes and 11% say they never share any feedback. 

Yvonne Smyth, Director at Hays specialising in HR, comments: “Whilst there has been more of a push from employers for staff to return to work in recent times, flexible working patterns, which span from remote working to a four-day week, continue to be a crucial consideration for both professionals settled within a company and candidates looking for a new role. 

As our research demonstrates, flexible working patterns are highly desired by most professionals today but are not currently set in stone across a range of organisations. Employees want to know where they stand when it comes to the flexibility they’re entitled to, so employers risk missing an opportunity from a talent attraction and retention perspective if they fail to be transparent about their flexible working offerings. 

It’s also important for employers to gather, respond to and share feedback from professionals, to keep an ear to the ground when it comes to the most appealing ways of working, which inevitability shift as time goes on and vary depending on an individual’s lifestyle and needs. 

In order to respond to this desire for transparency, employers ought to clarify the flexible working options they offer and ensure these are clearly communicated, from the job advert, to the interview stage, to the contract and beyond.” 
 

-ENDS-

Contact:
Chloe May
PR Executive
chloe.may@hays.com
 

About Hays

Hays plc (the "Group") is the world’s leading specialist in workforce solutions and recruitment, such as RPO and MSP. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK, Germany and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 31 December 2022, the Group employed over 13,000 staff operating from 255 offices in 33 countries. For the year ended 30 June 2022:

• the Group reported net fees of £1,189.4 million and operating profit of £210.1 million;
• the Group placed around 83,750 candidates into permanent jobs and around 250,000 people into temporary roles;
• 16% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 26% in Germany, 22% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 36% in Rest of World (RoW);
• the temporary placement business represented 55% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 45% of net fees;
• Technology is the Group’s largest division, with 26% of net fees, while Accountancy & Finance (14%) and Construction & Property (11%), are the next largest
• Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, the UK and the USA