Zarah ChoudharyNearly two-thirds of HR professionals believe that a full return to a five-day office week would be either ‘unhelpful’ or ‘very unhelpful’ from an HR perspective, highlighting concerns about work-life balance, employee wellbeing, and recruitment challenges.
Research by Occupational Health Assessment Ltd found that 63% of HR experts see return-to-office mandates as problematic, with 38% calling them unhelpful and 25% viewing them as very unhelpful.
In contrast, only 12% of respondents considered such policies beneficial, while 23% were indifferent to the issue.
The findings came as several high profile UK business leaders have called for employees to return to offices full-time, mirroring similar moves by major corporations in the US.
Lord Rose, former head of Marks & Spencer and Asda, recently argued on BBC’s Panorama that home workers were “not doing proper work.”
Steve Herbert, brand ambassador at Occupational Health Assessment Ltd, said: “Some large American employers – including those with a significant employment footprint here in the UK – have been seeking to enforce return to office mandates in the USA.
“It seems likely that at least some employers here in the UK will follow suit, either because they have a US parent company or because they believe this is a necessary decision for business success.
“Yet the potential complications of such an approach are many and varied.
“Workforce issues that may need to be addressed include loss of work-life balance, damage to employee financial and mental health, a reduction in recruitment and retention appeal, and even the potential for discrimination issues if the mandates are not carefully considered.
“These are all challenges that might ultimately end up in the HR in-tray, potentially making an already complex job even more challenging.”
The survey also highlighted that more than two-thirds of employers were rethinking their 2025 recruitment plans due to rising employment costs.
Changes set to take effect in April – including increases in the National Living Wage and Employer’s National Insurance contributions – are expected to raise employment costs by an average of 2.5% per employee, with even higher increases for low earners and part-time workers.
Half of respondents indicated minor changes to recruitment plans, while 17% were implementing major adjustments.
A quarter of employers remained committed to their previous recruitment plans, with only 3% looking to expand hiring in 2025.
The increase in employment costs also led to a shift in hiring strategies, with nearly half of employers taking a more cautious approach before making job offers.
The survey found that 47% of businesses were being either slightly more (33%) or much more (14%) selective in their hiring decisions.
Magnus Kauders, managing director of Occupational Health Assessment Ltd, said: “The increase in employment costs, potentially enhanced employment rights and the economic uncertainty at the start of 2025 has led many more employers toward a more cautious approach to recruitment.
“The need to get recruitment right first time, every time, is clearly a key focus for so many employers in this difficult environment.
“It follows that we expect to see more employers embracing pre-employment health checks and expert occupational health assessments in the year ahead.”
