01732 759725 magazine 23 FLEXIBLE WORKING after just a few hours (admitted to by 44% of UK employees). Coffeebadging is a growing problem, with almost half of UK participants in this year’s study confessing to this practice, up from 39% in 2024 and 23% in 2023. Interestingly, coffee-badging is more common amongst managers (48%) than non-managers (28%). Managers are also less accommodating of meetings scheduled late in the afternoon, with 80% rejecting meetings starting after 4.30 pm, compared to 63% of non-managers, although this could be to minimise inconvenience for colleagues. One third of all employees admit to clock-blocking, blocking out time in their calendar to keep free of meetings. Powered by technology Whatever level of flexibility they enjoy, UK employees increasingly value having the latest technology. In this year’s survey, 89% said access to good technology was important, up from 83% in 2024, putting it on a level with compensation (92%) and a supportive manager (91%). Moreover, the top three changes to office environments this year all involve investment in tech, with 42% of organisations introducing AI tools, 38% increasing IT support and 35% upgrading meeting room equipment. OwlLabs.com blur. More than half (51%) of all workers now schedule personal appointments during working hours, although 41% still spend less than one hour a day on non-workrelated tasks. Perhaps to accommodate conflicting requirements, 67% of UK workers are interested in microshifting – working in short, nonlinear blocks of time. This tendency is strongest amongst Gen Z and Millennials (72%) and weakest amongst Boomers (19%), with Gen X divided on the issue (45%). Four-day week In addition to having a choice of when and where they work, many UK workers have set their sights on a shorter working week, with 73% citing a four-day week as an important benefit. As with micro-shifting, a shorter working week has more support amongst younger workers, with 77% of Millennials and 72% of Gen Z seeing it as a benefit, compared to just 38% of Boomers. On average, UK employees say they would give up 8% of their salary for a four-day working week, with 45% prepared to give up 10% or more. The fight-back Owl Labs’ research indicates that as employers threaten to reassert traditional working patterns, UK workers most invested in flexibility are adopting a variety of tactics to preserve their freedom of choice. These include: Work-to-rule, doing only what’s specified in one’s job description and only within contracted hours (admitted to by 44% of UK employees). Taskmasking, creating the illusion of activity without engaging in meaningful work (admitted to by 33% of UK employees). Coffee-badging, showing one’s face in the office but going home UK businesses face an uphill struggle in persuading staff to return to the office on a full‑time basis, as employees now view flexibility as a nonnegotiable benefit. Almost all UK workers* surveyed for Owl Labs’ annual State of Hybrid Work Report say they would take action if they were no longer allowed to work remotely or on a hybrid basis (93%); more than four out of five (84%) cite the ability to work in a range of locations as a key factor in job satisfaction; and 39% say they wouldn’t join a company that restricts their choice of working location. Hybrid working These findings reflect the primacy of the hybrid working model, favoured by 74% of UK workers. Three days a week in the office is the most popular variant, cited by 41%, followed by four days a week (27%). One in 10 UK office workers spends just one day a week in the office. While return-to-office (RTO) mandates are much talked about, 67% of UK employees say their employer hasn’t changed their policy in the last year. Even so, 45% of UK employees worry that they may be forced to return to the office full-time, as employers aim to reinforce company culture and cohesion (seen as an RTO motivation by 79% of respondents), increase leadership visibility (78%) and boost collaboration and productivity (77%). Flexible hours UK workers don’t just want more choice in where they work but also when they work, with 44% saying they’d be prepared to reject any role that doesn’t offer flexible hours (up from 39% in 2024). This requirement comes as the lines between personal and work responsibilities continue to New survey highlights tactics used by workers to protect flexible working practices amidst rising concern about return-to-office mandates Bending the rules The Meeting Owl 4+ 360-degree camera, microphone and speaker automatically zooms in on whoever’s speaking * In July, Owl Labs conducted an online survey of 8,000 employees in the UK, US, Germany and France. Figures quoted in this piece are based on the responses of 2,000 UK workers.
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