HOMEWORKING - 13.06.2023

Can you force hybrid workers back to the office?

Hybrid working

A hybrid working arrangement is completely fluid and unique to each employee. For example, some employees may prefer to spend more time in the workplace, with the odd day at home, whereas others like working remotely for most of the time only coming into the workplace on an occasional basis.

Hybrid working can also change depending on the employee’s own personal needs, circumstances and other factors, such as childcare and school holidays.

New findings

In June 2023 research conducted by Towergate into hybrid working revealed that:

• 30% of employers say that the majority of their employees split their working time between home and the workplace
• the “average” company has 39% of its employees working under a hybrid working arrangement; and
• just 14% of companies said they had no hybrid working employees.

We want you back

Interestingly, 54% of the employers questioned also said that they are “actively trying to encourage” hybrid working employees back into the office, e.g. by offering them free meals and/or drinks.

Meta (formerly known as Facebook) has gone even further and told all of its hybrid working employees that they must come into the office for three days a week starting from September 2023. This is so Meta can concentrate on teambuilding.

Is this OK?

So could you call all your hybrid working employees back to the office permanently? This will all depend on what’s been agreed between you and/or the terms of your hybrid working policy (see The next step ).

However, unlike a flexible working arrangement, which is usually a permanent change to the employment contract, employers generally retain ultimate control over the times that the employee attends the workplace and when they carry out their work.

Mandatory attendance

Assuming you’ve done this and your hybrid working policy is non-contractual, you can introduce mandatory attendance days as you wish. You could also curb hybrid working entirely, either on a temporary or permanent basis.

It’s important to remember though that many employees value hybrid working - it remains one of the top perks. Furthermore, a change could create problems for an employee who, say, juggles childcare.

Tip. If you wish to impose mandatory in-work days or revoke hybrid working entirely you should have a solid business reason for this decision and give affected hybrid working employees reasonable notice of the change, e.g. three months, so that they can make a formal flexible working request and/or prepare for the change.

For a hybrid working policy, visit https://tips-and-advice.co.uk , Download Zone, year 25 issue 13.