A recent poll by Instantprint, of 1,000 workers, found that 85% of respondents found working in the office more appealing now due to the current cost-of-living crisis.
Almost half (45%) said they would prefer to commute to the office to reduce the impact of high energy bills. While this sounds like an easy solution, it’s more of a delicate balancing act at a time when energy bills are expected to rise to £3,459 a year from 1st October and rising petrol prices and train fares are also increasing the costs associated with commuting.
Gemma Dale, lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, and co-founder of The Work Consultancy, said “There are compromises to be made here; we know employees value the extra time from not commuting and the reduction of commuting-related stress, so this is part of the balancing act that employees will need to undertake, which is naturally going to vary from employee to employee.”
Working from home clearly has many benefits, especially savings on travel expenses, but, she added, employees will have to evaluate the cost of working from home versus going into the office.
The report also found that workers returning to the office en masse may be problematic with many offices (15%) not equipped to handle a full team all at the same time.
In addition, 24% of those who responded said they felt their employer could support them more than they currently are during the cost-of-living crisis, and 73% said that employers should be doing more to support their workers with rising energy prices (and 4% revealing they have had no support at all).
Gemma Bullivant, HR coach and consultant, believes that to get this balance right, businesses need to be clear on their approach to working practices and ensure it is incorporated into their day-to-day operations. She said, “What is the company’s stance on this? Does this align with the messaging and working practices, and how does the infrastructure support this? Organisations that get this right can add a significant lever to their total reward proposition.”
Senior performance and reward adviser at the CIPD, Charles Cotton, agrees: “Despite the cost increases already endured by many employers, the CIPD is still encouraging HR professionals to help their organisations explore what steps they can take to assist their people over this difficult period.
“Research finds that as a proportion of their budget, low-waged households spend a lot of their earnings on housing, utilities, commuting, food and childcare, so employers should look at what support they can give in these areas.”