41% of businesses have required staff to spend more time working on site over the past year.
• One in ten (9%) relevant firms say employees have quit because of the requirement to return to onsite working
• Nearly half of surveyed businesses (48%) expect all working days for staff to be on site during the next 12 months
• Nearly two-thirds of manufacturers (62%) and business-to-consumer companies (61%) say that all working days will be on-site, compared with less than a third (27%) of business-to-business firms
• Half of manufacturers (49%) think remote or hybrid working decreases productivity, while only 9% think it increases it
Over two fifths (41%) of businesses have increased their requirement for onsite working over the past year, according to new research by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).
While most of the firms (67%) who require onsite working say it hasn’t impacted recruitment or retention, one in ten relevant businesses (9%) have seen staff leave in response. Looking ahead, just less than half (48%) of businesses expect all working days to be in-person over the next 12 months.
583 businesses took part in the online research, carried out between 24 April and 14 May. 94% of the firms who took part were SMEs (fewer than 250 employees).
The data reveals significant differences in sectoral attitudes towards hybrid working, with manufacturers (62%) and B2C (61%) services most likely to be expecting all working days to be on-site in the next year. In contrast, just 27% of business-to-business service companies say they’ll be expecting all shifts to be in person over the next year.
Views are mixed over the productivity impact of remote or hybrid working. Half of manufacturers (49%) say it decreases productivity, compared to 41% of all firms reporting a negative impact. B2B service companies are most likely to see improvements through remote working, with a quarter (25%), saying it increases productivity. That compares with just 17% of all firms.
This new data marks a shift in attitudes. For comparison, previous polling by the BCC in 2023, found that just 27% of responding firms predicting their staff will be fully in-person over the next five years.
Jane Gratton, Director of Public Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce said:
“We’re seeing a clear shift towards more firms requiring full on-site working, but it’s by no means a uniform picture.
“The trend is being led by manufacturers and consumer-facing businesses, while around two thirds of B2B service firms continue to operate hybrid models.
“Hybrid working has become a fixture of modern working life since the pandemic and is valued by employers and their workforce. But it does not suit everyone and, for some firms, a full onsite model may be the best solution for the business.
“With the cost of doing business continuing to escalate, firms are looking to boost productivity. Hybrid working can help firms attract and retain a skilled and engaged workforce. However, some employers are identifying significant benefits of bringing all staff together again onsite.
“How and where people work is likely to continue to evolve in the years ahead. A flexible working approach makes good business sense but, to drive economic growth, managers also need the flexibility to do what’s right for their business.”
About Hampshire Chamber of Commerce
Hampshire Chamber of Commerce is the independent voice of local business across the county and one of the largest regional business networks in the UK. With a strategic vision to ‘unlock Hampshire’s potential’, Hampshire Chamber brings together the combined influence, strength and expertise of the county’s three former major chambers. It works with over 2,000 individual firms spanning all sectors and sizes of business. Member services include training, advice, international trade documentation, events, networking opportunities and lobbying to policymakers on issues affecting business. Hampshire Chamber’s business network is designed to help any employer to grow and thrive irrespective of their stage on the enterprise journey.
About the BCC Insights Unit
The BCC Insights Unit brings together all the strands of research the BCC undertakes, including the Quarterly Economic Survey, the largest private sector business survey in the UK; the Quarterly Economic Forecast, currently ranked by the Sunday Times as the country’s second most accurate; and a leading programme of business surveys which inform the national economic debate. The Insights Unit was launched on 3 July 2023.