Over half of employers are encouraging workers to stop hybrid working and get back in the office, a survey has revealed.
The survey said 54% of employers were actively trying to encourage employees back to the office.
To do this 29% of those surveyed are implementing mandatory office days, 29% are offering free meals and/or drinks, 28% are giving access to the gym and 27% are running onsite wellbeing days.
Other tactics being used include more onsite socials, subsidised transport/commuting costs and access to in-person counselling.
Debra Clark, Head of Wellbeing at Towergate Health & Protection, which carried out the research, said: “Encouraging employees back to the office will take a careful mix of incentives, and health and wellbeing support will be fundamental.
“As working styles widen, employers will have to widen their health and wellbeing offering to match.
“This will be in terms of what they offer, and where. Information gathering will be key and varied methods of communication will be vital.
“Support will need to include a mix of remote and in-person, and we’re going to see an increase in the use of wellbeing platforms to make support easier to access too.”
The survey spoke to 500 HR decision makers at businesses of all sizes and industries across the UK.
It also showed the majority of staff at 30% of companies still split their working time between home and their usual place of work.
The average company had 39% of employees working hybridly and large companies had 47% of staff doing so.
Just 14% of companies said they had no employees hybrid working.
Towergate believes in order to get people back to the office employers will have to offer support appropriate to the different demographics of the workforce and to employees’ differing needs – covering physical, mental, social, and financial health and wellbeing.
For those who choose to stay at home, wellbeing support will need to be offered for potential issues such as virtual physio appointments, online counselling, and financial education to cope with rising heating costs.
The article doesn’t explain WHY companies want to move away from hybrid working.