Study by workplace management tool Clearooms shows hybrid working trend isn't new

Hybrid working means a workforce has the flexibility to both work from home and in their public office during their week. A study by workplace management tool Clearooms shows that many are rallying against this approach now restrictions have been lifted, reverting back to the old ways of working.

However, Google search data shows that the interest in hot desking (the method of ensuring hybrid working can be facilitated) has been on a steady climb since 2004, showing the UK public has an appetite to work more flexibly.

Searches for hot desking in UK

Using Google Trends data, we can see a clear rise in interest for hot desking over the past sixteen years:

Tony Gibson, co-founder of Clearooms and expert in hot desking, thinks that the pandemic has accelerated a way of working that he has seen coming for years:

"While things are certainly not going to change overnight, I think hybrid working is going to outlast the pandemic. We’ve seen a culture shift in the way we work en route for some time, but it’s been hyper-accelerated by a pandemic that essentially forced businesses around the world to do a trial run of working from home.

"According to a report by Microsoft, over 70% of employees want flexible remote working options to continue and 65% want the chance to be able to meet their colleagues in person – those aren’t two contrary positions, they want the ability to do both.

"It’s no surprise that the likes of Microsoft and Google have already implemented working models like this – tech companies always seem to be ahead of the curve for this stuff. The question is, how long will it take more ‘traditional’ businesses to get with the programme and realise that their workforce is calling out for flexibility?"