The Future of Work is Flexible: 71% of Leaders Feel Pressure to Change Working Models

As LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky shared this morning, we’re entering a new era of work. After many people have experienced 18 months of pandemic-induced remote work, companies are starting to rethink culture, expectations, and policies to reflect what looks like a permanent shift to a hybrid work model. At the same time, employees are also rethinking the work they do and looking for work that aligns with their values and needs. 

At LinkedIn, we’re calling this moment of change the Great Reshuffle. 

As the world of work changes, we all have an opportunity to rewrite our playbooks when it comes to hiring, retaining and engaging talent and to focus on what employees want: flexibility, compassion, and trust. Simultaneously, we have an opportunity to drive more equitable outcomes and broaden talent pools by hiring for skills and enabling access to learning.

And CEOs have this top of mind. We asked more than 500 executives in the United States and United Kingdom what they’re thinking about work today, tomorrow, and beyond and found that executives are feeling the pressure to adapt to a new work environment. Yet they’re optimistic about the opportunities for flexibility, diversity, and skills development.

Here’s what we learned:

Leaders are optimistic about the future 

Suddenly it seems like everything is changing at once. Figuring out what hybrid work means for your organization, hiring talent, developing new skills, building diverse and inclusive teams, dealing with COVID-19 . . . the list goes on. 

And while these shifts are putting pressure on leaders and managers, they’re optimistic. Almost three-quarters (71%) of leaders have felt under pressure to change working models and adapt workplace policies to allow for greater flexibility, which may not be surprising given 87% of employees would prefer to stay remote at least half of the time. And leaders are feeling good about this: Over half (58%) are optimistic that flexibility will be good for both people and business.

If you’re a leader, this is an opportunity to make a real difference. Now is the time to adopt new solutions that make this new world of work better than the old one. As Ryan put it, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach — but those who lead with trust, compassion, and flexibility will reap long-term rewards.

Hybrid work: A new fact of life 

Companies are rethinking their working models, cultures, and company values. And as they do, they’re realizing that hybrid work is increasingly a permanent part of the picture — more than half (51%) say that offering hybrid, remote, and flexible working options is the way their companies will operate going forward.

And while leaders are aware that there are some obstacles to overcome to ensure hybrid models work, the long-term benefits are clear: Two-thirds (66%) of leaders are confident that hybrid, flexible, and remote working will usher in a more diverse workforce.

To help employers and hiring managers adapt to this new world of work and to show the benefits they are offering job seekers, we are rolling out new fields within our job postings where you can now signal if your open job is remote, hybrid, or onsite. And coming soon, you can search in Recruiter for candidates based on these filters. We will also have a way to share how you are approaching the future of work on your Company Page, including your vaccination requirements and if you plan to go back to an office, stay remote, or go hybrid.

Skill-building rises as a priority 

It’s no surprise, given the massive changes in the global economy, that the need to upskill and reskill feels especially urgent to leaders, with close to three-quarters (72%) believing that training is necessary for people to build the skills needed to work effectively in the new hybrid and flexible work environments. 

The benefits of training are broad: helping employees keep their skills sharp, helping the company navigate crises better, and training employees to become managers. After all, a learning-centric culture empowers all employees — from the C-suite to a new hire who just entered the workforce — to invest in themselves, which yields major returns to the business. 

To help you invest in the right skills crucial to thriving in today’s workplace — be it in-person, remote, or hybrid — we’re making nearly 40 LinkedIn Learning courses free until October 9, 2021, to help leaders, HR professionals, and our members on their journeys. We’re also launching our new skill-building platform, LinkedIn Learning Hub, to empower organizations to centralize all their learning content into one intuitive platform and get the insights they need to build a learning strategy for the future.

Hybrid work can lead to broader talent pools

Recruiting today looks drastically different than it did two years ago. The pandemic put a freeze on hiring, then in the last six months, employers started opening positions again — and found it hard to fill them. 

We found that two-fifths (39%) of leaders across the United States and United Kingdom are still struggling to find qualified talent for open roles, though they believe that offering greater flexibility will help. Over half (56%) of leaders say flexibility will appeal to a broad range of people who need it the most, such as those with caregiving responsibilities.

To more easily find and hire talent, our #Hiring feature allows you to share right from your profile that you are hiring. And with Talent Insights, you can rethink your sourcing strategies and find candidates from anywhere in the world — not just those with close proximity to your office — who have the right skills, allowing you to expand and broaden your talent pools. 

Prevent employee burnout by offering flexibility and driving engagement 

Our latest research from Glint released today reveals a new surge in employee burnout and signals a warning for managers and leaders: Only 1 in 5 employees believes they can meet their career goals where they work today and have both their manager’s and organization’s support to pursue those goals.

In short, very few employees see a path forward for internal mobility. But an agile employee engagement strategy can help leaders understand how to support their employees’ well-being and provide them with the growth and career opportunities they’re looking for. 

With the Great Reshuffle upon us, making sure that you prioritize your employees’ sense of support and engagement will be critical to retaining them. We found that employees satisfied with their organization’s flexibility on work time or location are:

• 3.4x more likely to successfully balance work and personal obligations
• 2.6x more likely to be happy working for their employer
• 2.1x more likely to recommend working for their employer

The Great Reshuffle is an opportunity

We know that there are many uncertainties ahead. There will be many obstacles that employers and employees will need to navigate together. But we believe the Great Reshuffle is by far the most exciting opportunity we’ve had in a long time. There’s a new world of work ahead of us, founded on shared values and a common mission — built on trust and flexibility — and providing more success for organizations and career fulfillment for employees. Let’s seize the opportunity and get to work, together. 

Methodology 

LinkedIn commissioned YouGov to survey 500+ C-level executives from U.S. and U.K. organizations with 1,000+ employees and US$350+ million (￡250+ million) annual revenue from August 4 to 24, 2021, to understand how they are considering the future of work. The survey was conducted online.

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