Hybrid working and its importance in today’s recruitment market

The most common thing I’m told by candidates when they are looking for a new role is that they want hybrid working. Either, they have hybrid working and don’t want to give it up or it’s something their current company doesn’t offer so they want to move to a new role with this benefit.

I’ve listed below the pros and cons of offering hybrid working to candidates:

Pro’s

1. Enables greater flexibility for staff as they don’t have to be in the office every day. It’s a lot easier to go to an 8am doctors’ appointment and go home just around the corner to start at 9am, rather than rushing to work.
2. It saves commuting time and costs, promoting a better work life balance and saving staff some extra money too.
3. It encourages quiet working time, allowing individuals to concentrate on difficult and time-consuming tasks without distraction.

Con’s

1. The team could feel disconnected if there is a lack of effort to engage and connect with the team. It’s harder for people to reach out for help when someone isn’t sat just across the room from them.
2. It can be tricky to create work life balance if your laptop is in the other room. Being able to close your computer down at the end of the day and leave the office environment can help encourage down time that you might be missing when working from home.
3. Of course, the number one thing employers argue when people want to work from home is “are they really working”. This attitude can create distrust amongst employers and employees as it’s hard to monitor individual work performance when you can’t see them every day. On the other hand, employers should trust employees to work from home and shouldn’t be hiring people they don’t believe will do this.

Hybrid working is the top request I get from candidates nowadays, and not offering a hybrid/flexible work environment could hinder your chance of employing great talent. With that being said, some candidates do want to work in the office full time, although this is few and far between in today’s society.

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