Nearly half of managers in the UK admit that returning to the office is more about appearance, according to new research from Indeed.

Its survey reveals that 44% of managers and 55% of employees believe that asking teams to return to the office is less about purpose and more about keeping up appearances.

Despite this, more than half of managers (57%) told Indeed that they expect employees to return to the office full-time within two years.

Nearly half of employees (46%) said their organization saw returning to the office as a “panacea” to its problems, with a higher proportion of bosses (54%) believing this to be the case.

More than half of managers (56%) say they favor employees who come to the office more often, and 43% of employees are aware of this.

The same week as Starling Bank staff resigned Faced with company demands to spend more time in the office, Indeed found that only 17% of employees said they would be willing to go to the office more than is required of them. Six out of ten people surveyed believe that the government should strengthen the right of employees to work from home.

One arrangement that appeals to UK workers is the four-day working week: 82% of employers said this could become a reality for their business in less than five years, and 67% of employees thought they could adjust their workload of work to shorter working hours. week. Fifty-nine percent of employers would be in favor of strengthening rights if this measure were introduced.

But while the government has pledged to introduce a right to disconnect for workers, only 49% think managers will not continue to contact them outside of business hours. The same proportion reported feeling under pressure to respond immediately to work messages.

Senior leaders appear to be driving this culture, with 44% admitting to feeling pressured to stay online or in the office after hours, even if they have finished their work. Similarly, employees felt that if senior leaders worked five days despite the implementation of a shorter working week, this would trickle down to younger staff.

Danny Stacy, UK Head of Talent Intelligence at Indeed, said: “Flexible working policies are a great tool for businesses looking to attract and retain top talent, given the importance workers clearly place on work that suits them.

“What this looks like will vary between sectors and individual companies, but the good news for employers is that different forms of flexibility are growing in popularity. Not all companies are able to offer remote work, for example, and could instead implement a shortened work week or flexible hours.

“Employees made it clear in our research that business leaders set the tone for flexible working. Organizations that believe in flexibility and want to ingrain it into their culture must ensure that senior employees lead by example, so that workers at all levels feel empowered to follow suit.

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