Working Post Pandemic - Where?
As per our previous study in Tier 5, 75% are us are working from home, with just 11% in the office 4-5 days a week.
But what happens when Covid is no longer a threat? Where will we work then?
We asked finance leaders what they had planned for their teams, and this is what they told us…
?
Just 23% accountants will be returning to the office full time post pandemic
A huge 64% will allow their staff at least 2 days from home
15% will need you in 1 day a week or less!
These are the headline figures, the story is different when broken down into industries. We broke it down into 5….
Financial Services and Tech
Any company that sells a service or software. The most flexible and it's understandable to see why, the whole business is likely to be able to work remotely, so why not let the Accountants!
Retail / Care
Any company with a large, geographically diversified workforce. We were surprised by the flexibility shown here, probably helped by the geographical detachment of the head office function and the day to day operations. Just 14% saw their team going back in full time.
Manufacturing / Construction
Any company that “produces” something. Things were much less flexible here, but still just 29% saw their staff back in full time. It is understandable when the “cash generating” part of the workforce is often onsite or on a shop floor.
Service, Legal & Consulting
Any company that sells advice or bills time. As expected, these were super flexible, with 64% saying the flexibility will stay in some form. We expect this to increase as firms see what their competitors do and follow suit.
Logistics, FMCG & Warehousing
Any company that operates from a warehouse. Surprisingly this was seen as the least flexible, with 48% of companies looking to get their staff back in full time. This is likely to be due to the extremely fast paced nature of the businesses and the fact their “cash generator” roles are often confined to being on site.
What does this mean?
Flexibility is here to stay (for many!)
For the overwhelming majority, at least 1 day a week from home is here to stay. This will be balanced with regular office attendance to stay embedded with the business / culture whilst fitting around your home needs.
Certain industries will have changed forever
Industries where competitors are closely aligned (law, accountancy practice, recruitment, property etc) will see those less flexible ultimately follow those that are.
As an example, if 3 of the big 4 Accountancy firms decided to allow 3 days WFH and 1 stood firm at 9-5 in the office 5 days a week, I can see hiring being a real uphill struggle against the backdrop of its flexible direct competitors.
The long game
Ultimately, 5 year down the line, we feel a balance will be had by many. Accountants will need to be in the office for culture, job satisfaction and to offer the benefits to their company that cannot be achieved by just employing someone 5000 miles away in a cheaper location.
The future of hiring
Flexibility has already become an incredibly important issue, with our studies clearly showing that for many you will need to pay them significantly more to take an inflexible job, a direct cost increase for inflexible employers.
We are also seeing many candidates not interested in 5 days a week in the office, regardless of the pay. In this situation, inflexible employers are left fishing from a depleted talent pool.
It will be interesting to see if this study does indeed come out correct! Our full infographics are below.