Page 27 - Spaces Magazine Volume 1

smartspaces.app | Yourspace,butsmarter Future of hybrid work Between September 2022 and January 2023, 44% of workers reported home or hybrid working and 56% reported only travelling to work in the last 7 days. 2024 saw the Employment Relations Bill come into effect. This piece of law gives UK employees new rights, including: • new requirements for employers to consult with the employee before rejecting their flexible working request • permission to make two statutory requests in any 12-month period • reduced waiting times for decisions to be made from three months to two months • the removal of existing requirements that the employee must explain what effect, if any, the change applied for would have on the employer and how that effect might be dealt with Alongside the Act, the UK Government announced that workers will have the right to request flexible working from day one of a new job. Whilst criticised by some, this Act signifies the tidal shift in our relationship with work. Once the pendulum starts to swing in a direction, it continues. It’s never been a better time to invest in technology that connects your people together. Also keep in mind that without a company culture, it’ll be hard to foster a cohesive team spirit. Leadership teams are up against a competitive landscape for top talent. Staying agile and flexible to the needs of your team are recipes for growth. Don’t take our word for it, the Flex Index report collected revenue data across 7,500 companies and found fully flexible public companies outperformed their peers by 16% between 2020-2022.