While the prevailing winds indicate a return to the office, hard-pressed managers in a tough labour market are offering ‘hushed hybrid’ to keep staff onboard.
Robert Walters’ recent poll of 1,000 Irish professionals has revealed that the slew of Return to Office (RTO) mandates may be creating a ‘travel rift’ between employers and professionals.
Across the business world, high-profile companies from JPMorgan Chase to Amazon and Dell have rolled out return-to-office mandates for their staff.
“We’re already noticing how an increasingly high cost-of-living, along with professionals being faced with longer commutes and travel disruptions directly influencing what they come to expect and value in employer offerings”
A recent demand for civil servants in Ireland to increase their in-office attendance received considerable backlash from unions.
Regardless, in December the number of Irish job roles offering remote/hybrid arrangements on the platform Indeed rose to 17.5%, four times the pre-pandemic record.
Two-fifths (43%) of Irish managers have stated they’d implement ‘hushed hybrid’ to still allow their teams flexibility despite leaders increasing calls to return to office, according to research from recruiter Robert Walters Ireland.
Travel rifts and commuting clashes
Despite the official word from many leaders being to boost office attendance, two fifths (43%) of Irish managers admit they’ll look at implementing ‘hushed hybrid’ – allowing their staff to quietly work from home, to still allow flexibility.
Pressures have mounted on managers to tow the line between employee expectations and demands from leaders, especially as work-life balance continues to remain a top priority for professionals – indeed, 60% of professionals would stick to a lower-paying job if it offered greater flexibility, rather than switching jobs solely for better pay.
“Calls for a return to office have only gotten louder this year, as leaders increasingly view them as being key to enhancing productivity and workplace culture,” explained Suzanne Feeney, country manager at Robert Walters.
“With the housing crisis forcing more professionals out of major cities; difficulties with public transport from overcrowded trains to unreliable buses, and highly congested roads – RTO mandates are leaving many professionals in Ireland with longer, more expensive journeys into the office.”
“Hybrid-working has been a mainstay of working arrangements both globally and nationally since 2020 – however, over the last year we’ve noticed employers begin to turn their backs on this, and request their staff commit more days to the office.
“Whereas the Work-Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act gave Irish professionals the right to request remote or hybrid working arrangements after six months of employment – some professionals may be considering this ‘right to ask’ more as a ‘right to receive’.”
When asked about the most important workplace cost to get subsidised by their employer – over half (54%) of professionals prioritised commuting costs over tech equipment, food and health or wellness options.
Indeed – 46% of Irish professionals claim they are a major factor for them when considering a new job role.
However, 82% of Irish professionals say they don’t receive any support from their current employer when it comes to commuting costs.
“We’re already noticing how an increasingly high cost-of-living, along with professionals being faced with longer commutes and travel disruptions directly influencing what they come to expect and value in employer offerings.”
Super commuters and salaries
The number of ‘super commuters’ (professionals travelling at least 90 minutes to get to work) rose during and immediately after the pandemic as hybrid working arrangements meant professionals could move out of major cities – but this trend is set to continue with housing prices in major cities like Dublin and Cork
However, Robert Walters data shows only 15% of Irish professionals are now willing to spend up to 2 hours travelling into the office – with even less (6%) spending any time above that.
In fact, many (41%) stated they’d commute for up to an hour, whilst over a third (38%) wouldn’t travel for any longer than 45 minutes.
Feeney explained: “With delays and cancellations adding extra minutes and sometimes hours onto commutes, those who moved out of cities initially may be coming to regret their decisions – now faced with either having to seek new positions closer to home or take longer journeys to work for an increasing number of days each week.”
Pre-pandemic, commuting costs averaged between 6-10% of professional’s salaries. Currently, Irish professionals spend an average of between 1-5% of their monthly salary on commuting.
More days in the office could mean the price of commutes edges closer to pre-pandemic levels and taking into consideration inflation and cost of living hikes – could result in an even bigger chunk being taken out of professionals’ salaries.
“The conversation around working arrangements is changing. Whilst some professionals may want to retain flexibility, others may be willing to spend more time in the office,” said Feeney.
“Rather than firms engaging in traditional salary wars – this year, we could see companies compete by ramping up travel subsidies, flexibility or allowing staff to commute in during off-peak periods to help counter rising costs.
“Nevertheless, employers will need to reevaluate their attraction and retention strategies – figuring out what a ‘good employment offer’ means this year – especially to meet professionals’ increasingly diverse needs.”
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