New research from Grant Thornton UK LLP’s latest Business Outlook Tracker* has revealed that, prior to the implementation of ‘Plan B’ and the return of work from home guidance, a hybrid working approach was being adopted by many mid-market firms in the South West, but that some were still facing challenges with its implementation.

Hybrid and remote working is going to remain the norm for many businesses, with Boris Johnson confirming that ‘Plan B’ and its work from home guidance is going to stay in force until at least the end of January.

Hybrid working, where people split time between working remotely and in an office, was the most common working practice in early December, with the research finding 92% of the region’s mid-market businesses surveyed operating in this manner. Despite this, many were found to still be adapting to the approach.

The research highlighted that one of the most problematic hybrid working challenges was managing the work of junior staff, with more than a third of respondents (39%) who were adopting hybrid working stating that this was an issue.

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Given the management difficulties businesses have had to deal with, it’s unsurprising that reduced productivity was another hybrid working obstacle identified by 39% of business leaders taking this approach.

Ensuring a high level of staff welfare was equally concerning, with the same number pointing to mental wellbeing issues such as reducing isolation and anxiety levels as being a challenge under the current circumstances.

Jonathan Riley, practice leader for Grant Thornton UK LLP in the South West, commented: “It’s clear that hybrid working is here to stay and it can offer many benefits to companies and their people, from saving costs on reduced office space to a better work-life balance. However, despite it being more than 20 months since hybrid working became the new status quo during the first COVID-19 lockdown, it’s evident that many firms in the South West are still facing a number of challenges with its implementation.

“It needs time and commitment to be truly effective and there is no one size fits all approach. The whole market is on a learning curve to experiment and find the best method that works for them and ensure their people continue to feel connected and supported by their business and their teams, wherever they work.

“To ensure that younger team members are properly supported, it’s essential that expectations are clearly defined throughout the organisation and not subject to ambiguity or confusion. Setting out clear goals and explaining the support that’s available will help businesses to better manage their more junior colleagues in a way that achieves greater levels of engagement while helping them start their careers on the right path.

“Moving forward, businesses need to be open to evolving and challenging themselves as to how their hybrid working approach can be made more effective, such as through investing in new technology that helps teams to communicate and stay connected, and providing additional guidance on how work is organised and co-ordinated.”

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