The Furlough Scheme and Working from Home – how has it affected job searches and ultimately, the market?
Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, our working lives have been impacted significantly. Whether we’ve been made redundant, furloughed or remained in the workplace, especially on the front line, we’ve all seen a considerable change. But what does this mean for people looking for new jobs and the wider market? Here at Bridge we’ve been looking at how these factors could be affected in the future.
Recently, IWFM ran a poll which revealed some interesting statistics. The vast majority of the 2,000 individuals involved expect to divide their time between working from home and the office in the future, and 44% of the workforce are planning to work from home two days a week (or more) if their workplace allows. Additionally, 63% of those participating agreed that the office is now redundant, with many adapting to their new working environment at home.
Chris Moriarty, Director of Insight at IWFM said: “More than a year on, we continue to see employers striving to strike the right balance between remote and office working. The benefits of the office have not been forgotten, yet we continue to become accustomed and comfortable with our home working routines.”
One thing this research has highlighted is the fact that many employees between the ages of 18 and 24 would rather have a flexible approach to work and 66% of them agreed they’d be more inclined to look for a new job than work at the office full time. This could affect the market greatly, as many businesses strive to attract fresh talent into the industry, but they also need to offer a level of flexibility if the past year is anything to go by.
With everything that has occurred in the last 14 months, it’s up to employers to acknowledge the importance of balance between working from home and working in the office. Many have acclimatised well to working from home and as the research suggests, many younger employees quite like the idea of a balance between the two. If companies want to attract fresh talent, maybe it’s time to move away from the traditional working schedule that we’ve always been familiar with.