Older employees and higher earners more likely to prefer hybrid working

According to a poll, findings warn against one-size-fits-all approach to returning to the office, arguing physical space and interactions will retain ‘important and relevant’ role.

Older people and higher earners are more likely to prefer hybrid working than other groups, a survey has found, with younger workers and new starters far more likely to want to work full time in the office.

A poll of 2,500 workers by Totem found two-thirds (66 per cent) of workers over 55 would prefer some form of hybrid working with a mix of working in the office and from home. Just one in five (22 per cent) of this age group wanted to return to the office full time.

In contrast, nearly half (49 per cent) of employees aged 18 to 24 said they wanted to return to the office full time.

Similarly, higher earners were also more likely than lower earners to want some form of hybrid working. Nearly half (47 per cent) of those earning more than £45,000 and just over half (54 per cent) of those earning more than £125,000 said they would prefer some form of hybrid working.

Conversely, two in five (42 per cent) of those earning under £45,000 wanted hybrid working, compared to almost half (48 per cent) who wanted to work full time in an office.

And just 38 per cent of those earning less than £30,000 said they wanted some form of hybrid working, compared to half (50 per cent) who would prefer to be in the office full time.

The poll also found a slight preference for office working among those who were single, compared to those who were married or living with a partner. Just under half (48 per cent) of single people expressed a preference for office working, with more than two in five (44 per cent) preferring hybrid working.

This compared to half (50 per cent) of married people and 46 per cent of those cohabiting who preferred a hybrid set-up.