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More than a third of UK workers would leave jobs if told to go back to office full time

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More than a third of UK workers would quit if told to return to office full-time

More than a third of UK workers have revealed they would leave if they were forced to come back to the office full time.

According to data gathered by the professional networking site LinkedIn, six out of ten employees are considering changing jobs this year.

One-fifth of that group said they would stay in their current position if they could work remotely or more flexibly.

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More workplace flexibility is especially important to women, with more than half (52 percent) reporting that they had left or were considering leaving their job due to a lack of flexibility.

The study combined LinkedIn data with the findings of multiple employee surveys.

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The findings show further evidence employers will need to continue to offer flexibility to their workforce if they want to recruit and retain staff, which will not go down well with the likes of billionaire Elon Musk.

Next Thursday marks three years since the first UK lockdown.

Hundreds of thousands of office workers suddenly found themselves working at home.

Even as Covid rules were relaxed, the majority of employers adopted a hybrid model, with employees splitting their time between their desks and home or another location.

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However, according to the research, the share of job postings for remote roles has been declining for the past 10 months, falling to nearly 11 percent of the total in the UK - a 30 percent drop from a year ago.

LinkedIn's data shows demand for remote roles in the UK is outstripping supply, with remote roles receiving more than a fifth (22 percent) of job applications in February.

Despite this, nearly half (49 percent) of company leaders in the UK and abroad say they would prefer their employees to work from the office more frequently.

Read More: Microsoft says its return to office plan may not happen in 2022

In February, Amazon employees in the United States chastised the company's CEO for asking them and their colleagues around the world to return to the office for the majority of the working week or at least three days.

Andy Jassy wrote in a staff memo: “Collaborating and inventing is easier and more effective when we’re in person.” He added that it was easier for workers to learn from each other, and feel more connected to their colleagues when sharing the same workspace.

Amazon isn't the only one: In late 2022, LinkedIn discovered that nearly a third (32 percent) of companies were considering restricting employees' ability to work from home.

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Ngaire Moyes, LinkedIn’s country manager for the UK, said many workers did not want life to return to how it was before Covid.

“We know that flexibility brings all sorts of benefits – including being a huge motivator for employees – meaning it’s crucial for employers to consider this when it comes to attracting top talent,” she said. “However, it also creates a level of complexity for leaders.”

Almost a third (30 percent) of UK employees said they planned to spend more time with their coworkers this year, and a similar proportion said they planned to visit their workplace more frequently.

SourceThe Guardian

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