What does the future of work look like? Navigating the new normal | Talking HR

It’s no secret there has been a huge shift in the way we all work since the pandemic, with hybrid working making up a large proposition of available jobs on the market right now. But is it here to stay?

From January, Amazon is ordering staff back to the office five days a week and ending their hybrid work policy. PwC has told employees it will be tracking their working locations to ensure all workers spend a minimum of 3 days in the week in the office or at client sites.

In contrast, Spotify has said that ‘work is not a place you come to, it’s something you do’ and are continuing to back their flexible working policy. Chief HR Officer Katarina Berg said "You can’t spend a lot of time hiring grownups and then treat them like children."

Some employers seem desperate to return to working life before lockdown, where some are embracing a new approach.

We gathered HR and talent professionals from across the South West to tackle this ever-changing topic at Talking HR with Cathedral Appointments, a twice yearly event allowing people to connect, share insights and discuss topics affecting people in the workplace.

For our second event, we welcomed guest speakers Su Apps, Partner at Ashfords LLP, Lucy Clemas, People Director at Brain In Hand, and Helen Blackmore, a C-Suite People Leader, along with our very own director, Clodagh Murphy, who provided an overview of the employment market.

Su advised the audience on the importance of making changes to contracts and policies as well as sharing insight into the new Employment Rights Bill.

“When considering your team and their working patterns, think about whether to formalise the flexibility you allow. Informality creates legal risks, and customs and practices can in time become terms. Making it clear in contracts that hybrid working arrangements are non contractual and may be amended at the discretion of the employer on reasonable notice can help avoid this, provide clarity and manage expectations, particularly if business operations may later necessitate an increased return to the office. You are responsible for your employees wherever they are working so you need to ensure you are conducting appropriate risk assessments whether in the office, home or third party locations. What’s key in all of this is providing managers with the appropriate training to ensure that they understand your own policies and have the communication skills required to provide consistency and support when managing remote workers.

On the Employment Rights Bill, there is no doubt that it has the potential to be the biggest change to employment law in a generation… but we await more information in the form of consultation, regulations and guidance, with most of the proposals to come into force from 2026 onwards. Key changes to be introduced are day one unfair dismissal protection, stronger family friendly rights, further enhanced protection against harassment and a ban on fire and rehire, in addition to complex changes for zero hours workers, day one statutory sick pay and much more.

Whilst we await further information, preparatory work for employers should include ensuring that recruiting and onboarding procedures are as strong and supportive as they can be and working to train managers to focus on assessing performance and suitability for roles early on during probationary periods and taking steps as soon as possible to support improvement. What is notably missing from the Bill is the right to disconnect, which is likely to be introduced as a code of practice instead, and the concept of single status worker, which is so complex that this will require extensive consultation and consideration before being published. But we can expect major change, and businesses will need to prepare and adapt as more information becomes available.”

Helen shared her experience, having been highly involved in the merger of Succession Wealth with Avia, focusing on systems and processes they had put in place post-pandemic.

“As we came out of the pandemic era of working, we recognised we needed to implement systems to maintain productivity and support our team. We had a non-contractual policy of 2-3 days in office, or 50% of your time. We gave employees £400 to set themselves up with a desk, chair, safe, whatever they required to work effectively, rather than perching themselves on the edge of the bed or dining table. We provided, as Su said, managerial training for remote working and invested in our tech, such as slack and teams. We found our attrition reduced and flexibility is now the most popular benefit they offer. 90% of the team have said they feel supported with their work / life balance.

What’s clear is flexibility, hybrid working, progressive ways of working have proved popular with our team members. That said, managers and senior leadership can be where your downfall is. There needs to be consistency amongst the company for what is offered and that it is seen as fair for all employees regardless of their working preference. Being agile with your working can also be a target for other problems, for example if your BD is down, rushing through a return to the office, when in reality that issue could stem from something else. Don’t let previous bad experiences ruin the experience with a new team. Consider your boundaries, is it all roles? All team members? What are your core days? And work out your overall long-term goals for your team and go from there.”

Lucy Clemas provided a unique insight into the remote world of working, and with 50% of their team identifying with neurodiversity, she gave an overview of some of the challenges and solutions they have implemented to enable the business to succeed long term.

“The truth is we are still finding our way, like many businesses. We are navigating a new way of working in the post-pandemic era and recognise when we get things wrong, or right. We don’t track people’s working hours, we operate on a policy of trust but that’s not to say we don’t have clear expectations. We are responsible for manging health and safety, often where our teams are working in their own homes. We have had to be clear with our team on what is a contractual benefit and what is a nice to have. For example, we for the most part operate on a 9 day fortnight, giving Fridays as a wellbeing day. However, depending on workloads or bank holidays this isn’t always possible so we need to be clear with our team when this happens.

Remote working can often be isolating so we have had to ensure there are regular touchpoints, especially for people working in small teams, to make sure they speak to people in the team each week. While it can be challenging, especially given many of our team are neurodivergent, we do host twice yearly away days where we bring the team down to Exeter Castle to celebrate milestones. There’s much we need to do here to ensure team members are supported. What we have recognised along the way is that fairness is not sameness. Different roles can be rewarded differently if there are varying requirements or flexibility, but it’s our job to make sure this is understood by our team."

Our guests were able to discuss these topics and their experiences at roundtables during the event, connecting with fellow HR professionals in the region.

We had huge demand and interest for this event, so will be hosting our third event in the Spring next year. If you would like to be considered for the waiting list, please do get in touch.

Where can I get more information?

• https://www.braininhand.co.uk/resources/how-access-to-work-and-brain-in-hand-help-me-thrive-at-work/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI9aGmX7e5I