The youngest employees in the workforce are leading the charge towards hybrid work. A recent study by Boundless found that only 19% of workers aged 16 to 24 want to work from home exclusively, while 62% opt for hybrid work.
The study polled over 2,000 people over the age 16 in the UK. Amongst the many findings, Boundless discovered that of those who have jobs where working from home is very practical and possible, little over a quarter (27%) would actually choose to work from home all the time. At the same time just 17% said they would choose to work from an office the whole week.
But a majority cited some sort of hybrid approach as their preferred working option – coupling time in the office with time spent working remotely each week.
It was when the study delved into age groups that we got real insight into how important an office location is for younger workers.
Working from home exclusively was most unpopular with those aged 16 to 24, of whom just 19% would want to work from home exclusively – the lowest proportion of any age group.
In that age group, 62% of study participants opted for hybrid working.
Again, this makes the youngest employees the ones who are most likely to want this flexibility:
At the other end of the scale, of those aged 55 and over, a third would choose to work from home the whole week, highlighting the need for flexibility and the ability for your workforce to be location flexible. The results of the survey pitch a real argument for hybrid by default in businesses where workers do not physically need to be on the premises to do their job. By allowing employees to choose their working location and to switch between home and office, you cater to the needs and wants of a diverse workforce.
