WFH - how successful has it been, and have we embraced it

✳ The UK Recruitment Index 2021 by the Association of Professional Staffing Companies and Saffery Champness found that 30% of firms are now happy to allow staff to work five days out of the office, while most businesses are allowing staff to work two to three days out of the office.

✳ Overall, the Index showed that recruitment firms were able to adapt their strategy quickly to cope with the impact of the pandemic. "Organisational resilience is looking more promising than last year and firms appear to feel more financially stable at the moment," said APSCo CEO Ann Swain and Jamie Cassell, head of the recruitment sector group at Saffery Champness, in their opening comment.

✳ Pre-pandemic, the report went on to say, 57% of firms said that all staff were expected to be in the office for the whole week or at minimum, four days a week. "The pandemic forced firms to quickly look at their remote working capabilities and, as shown throughout the Index, the impact of people working from home was not significant," the report said. "New technology allows them to monitor staff performance and reduce some of their fixed costs via home working. For staff, greater flexibility in working practices helps their wellness and motivation."

✳ A vast majority (93%) said they would not change the remuneration of consultants that want to work from home in the future. Only 4% said they "would consider" reducing remuneration to take into account lower travel costs.

✳ However, the report warned: "It is important that any change in policy considers the morale of the workforce and its impact on the performance of the firm."

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