FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
UK bosses are considering asking workers to stay at home to save on office energy bills this winter, according to a new survey of 1,000 senior leaders at UK companies.
The research from freelance platform Fiverr found that 64 per cent of senior leaders are considering reversing their rhetoric around encouraging employees back into the office and 74 per cent of business owners feel the same, as the cost of living begins to bite for companies.
However, this change of heart from businesses could spark backlash amongst UK employees. According to 1,000 UK office workers surveyed as part of the same study, the average worker predicts they could save £38 a month on home energy bills by coming into the office over the winter period.
When asked how they plan to support employers through the cost of living crisis in winter, 42% of business leaders say they plan to offer mental health support. Nearly a third (30 per cent) of leaders will offer overtime and 22 per cent of workers plan to ask for overtime and extra hours.
UK workers are also considering taking on side hustles (45 per cent) to support themselves during the cost of living crisis. Working remotely has helped 70 per cent of UK workers achieve a better work life balance, giving them more time to explore passive income if required.
Bukki Adedapo, Fiverr’s Head of UK commented: “The divide between workers’ and bosses’ opinions towards remote and office work is becoming increasingly apparent. We have now reached a point where productivity and in-person connection at the office is at loggerheads with UK businesses’ urgent need to cut energy costs during the winter period.
“In addition, 41 per cent of the companies surveyed said it is likely their remote work policies will change again in 2023. For workers, this instability may be a cause for concern. During this time, it is vital that companies provide clarity on their intentions and give employees the support they need during this period of uncertainty. Employees that do not feel that they are being given the choice about how and where they work may seek positions where this choice is clear.”
According to Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index, worldwide parcel volume is likely to double in the next five years, with the UK showing the highest increase in carrier revenue of all 13 countries in the Index.
Alongside a huge uptake in the volume of parcel volume and spend, post pandemic, the adoption of hybrid working patterns means that FMs need to find ways to enable staff to book / host collaborative meetings in available workspaces and to find desk, office and parking spaces by utilising automation and data capture to enable site governance.
Yet a recent survey by FMJ in partnership with Pitney Bowes found that 20 per cent of recipients are still using manual paper-based visitor systems, which doesn’t fit with their top priority – to maintain a safe and operational environment.
This overwhelming reliance on paper-based systems is causing many respondents bottlenecks, resulting in a lack of efficiently in logging and tracking packages and people coming into the organisation.
In this webinar, Gary Abbott Director of Business Development and Stuart Bushaway, Head of Dealers Operations and FM Relationships at Pitney Bowes will outline the main findings of the two surveys and what this could mean for FMs, followed by a discussion, chaired by FMJ Editor Sara Bean with a panel of thought leaders into the solutions available to meet these challenges.
Register for the webinar here.
