Are your staff asking for hybrid or home-based working?

Hybrid or remote working took off in a big way during the pandemic lockdowns and has never really gone away.

According to government figures, more than a quarter of working adults in Great Britain worked in a hybrid pattern during the first quarter of last year. That proportion has been gradually rising since March 2022.

And it's particularly popular in the UK, according to researchers, where workers are logging an average of 1.8 work-from-home days per week, well above the global average of 1.3 days and the highest in Europe.

“This isn’t just a post-pandemic hangover — British workers have clearly decided they’re not going back to the old ways,” says Cevat Giray Aksoy, associate professor of economics at King’s College London and lead economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

“Remote work has moved from being an emergency response to becoming a defining feature of the UK labour market.”

While workers do not have an automatic right to hybrid or flexible working, they are entitled to request it. Thanks to the Employment Rights Act 2025, they can now do so from their first day of employment.

From next year, employers will only be able to reject flexible working requests where it is demonstrably reasonable to do so. If you decide to refuse a request, you must explain why by referring to one or more of the eight recognised business reasons.

Your legal obligations as an employer

Valid reasons for rejection include the cost to the business, an inability to reorganise the work among existing staff, or difficulty recruiting additional staff.

You can also reject a request if it would negatively affect quality, performance, or your ability to meet customer demand.

Another valid reason is that there is not enough work for the employee to do during the hours or in the location they have requested. Planned changes to the business, such as a reorganisation, may also justify refusing a request if the arrangement would not fit those plans.

Whatever your initial view, it makes sense to have a full discussion with your employee as early as possible.

"We believe everyone should approach discussions on flexible working with a view to reaching an agreement," says Niall Mackenzie, chief executive of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).

"We have also backed mandatory meetings because a good conversation gives employers and workers a genuine opportunity to explore options together – helping more people access flexible working, while keeping disputes low" Mackenzie also commented. 

What to consider before approving remote or hybrid working

If you do offer employees hybrid or remote working, there are several practical issues to think through first.
For a start, you will need to account for the fact that communication across the team may no longer happen as naturally. That may mean introducing or strengthening messaging, file-sharing and project management tools, along with regular updates, online meetings and check-ins.
For a start, you'll need to make up for the fact that communication with the rest of the team won't necessarily happen in such an organic way. This may mean introducing new systems, such as messaging, file sharing, and project management tools, with regular updates, online meetings and check-ins.

Many employers also worry about whether remote staff are staying productive throughout the day.

It is acceptable to monitor performance, for example, by reviewing email usage, checking website visits, or recording and listening to phone calls. However, there are strict rules around how monitoring can be carried out, particularly if an employee is using their own device. In that case, you will need to make sure confidential or non-work-related emails are not reviewed, perhaps by asking employees to mark personal messages clearly in the subject line.

You will also need to tell employees what monitoring is taking place and make sure any data collected is kept secure.

Cyber security and data protection risks

It is not just the security of the worker’s data you need to consider. You also need to protect your own company information. According to an analysis of government figures, almost a third of British businesses have experienced at least one remote working-related security breach in the past year.

The potential benefits of flexible working

Potential risks include the use of insecure communication channels such as public wifi, weak data access controls, device sharing with friends or family, and the possibility of a device being lost or stolen.

"Implementing security measures to protect your communication and data sharing is essential in a remote work environment. Using end-to-end encryption, password protected wifi networks, and secure file sharing solutions can significantly protect your organisation from online threats," says Tim Freestone, chief strategy and marketing officer at privacy and compliance firm Kiteworks.

"Equally key is highlighting to employees the importance of maintaining a clear boundary between personal and work communication to prevent accidental data leaks” Freestone also comments.

While all of this may sound daunting, there are clear advantages to offering home or flexible working. Recent research from International Workplace Group found that 36 per cent of hybrid workers take fewer sick days than their office-based colleagues, while three-quarters of CEOs say it has improved productivity.

“Hybrid and more flexible ways of working are incredibly beneficial for both employees and employers. Not only are they widely popular with workers, with higher levels of satisfaction and improved work-life balance reported, but this research also suggests employees are taking fewer sick days, managing stress better, and adopting healthier lifestyles,” says Mark Dixon, the firm’s founder and CEO. “Meanwhile, companies are benefiting from higher productivity and lower costs.”

Not sure whether your insurance is keeping pace with the way your business now works, whether in person, hybrid or remote? Get in touch with our experts for guidance on the right cover for your business.