Alert: Jobseekers are being fraudulently contacted by scammers. More details
The tug of war between ongoing hybrid working and return-to-office mandates has caused much tension across the world of work in recent months, but what toll is this having on employee wellbeing?
According to new research released by Hays, based on a survey of over 3,600 respondents across the UK, most (84%) professionals who currently work in a hybrid way say it has positively impacted their overall wellbeing, including their mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing.
The research finds that more women (87%) than men (80%) believe hybrid working has improved their wellbeing. As it stands, two thirds (66%) of employers invest in flexible working arrangements to support their team's wellbeing, the main approach employers take to boost employee wellbeing.
Close to four in ten (38%) workers say recent news stories about employers asking staff to return to the office more regularly has had a negative knock-on effect on their wellbeing, coined as RTO scaries.
More women (42%) say their wellbeing has been negatively impacted by news stories about RTO than their male counterparts (32%). Younger workers aged between 20 and 29 (43%) are more concerned by talks of RTO than older workers over the age of 50 (32%).
The main worry around returning to the office is the added cost of doing so, as almost six in ten (59%) employees say financial concerns would impact their willingness to work from the office more regularly.
Almost three quarters (72%) of workers aged between 20 and 29 say they are put off returning to the office due to the financial pressure, versus less than half (48%) of staff over the age of 50.
Hannah Pearsall, Head of Wellbeing at Hays, comments: “As our research illustrates, the popularity of hybrid working shows no signs of wavering any time soon and the role this flexible working pattern plays in improving wellbeing should not be overlooked.
Hybrid working gives people the autonomy to manage their workload in the best way that suits their individual needs. For instance, some people requirequiet space at home to concentrate on certain projects, whilst other tasks might be more effectively carried out face-to-face in a collaborative setting.
Employers must ensure they are mindful that implementing return-to-office mandates will worry different people for different reasons. Ultimately, a lack of awareness around the impact of RTO on wellbeing, particularly financial wellbeing,could be catastrophicfor the sustained success of their business.”
-ends-
About the research:
The survey on which these findings are based was carried out between 24th April and 12th May 2025 and received over 3,600 responses. The survey was completed by employers and employees from across the UK, working across a range of industry sectors and employed in various types and sizes of organisation in both the private and public sectors.
Contact
Contact information for any media enquiries relating to Hays UK and Ireland: PR team number: 020 3040 0282 PR team email: public.relations@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 of 30 June 2024, the Group employed over 11,100 staff operating from 236 offices in 33 countries. For the year ended 30 June 2024:
