Poll finds Scots hungriest for hybrid working

The widespread adoption of hybrid working in the UK since the arrival of Covid-19 has boosted production, and increased satisfaction levels among both employees and customers, according to a new survey.

Workers in office talk to coworkers on Zoom

David Sapsted

10 March 2022

Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) and Virgin Media Scotland study

But the poll of more than 500 business leaders and 2,000 consumers, conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) and Virgin Media, found wide regional variations in the readiness to accept remote working.Scottish businesses and their employees were found to be embracing hybrid work more readily than anywhere else in the UK, while staff in SW and NW England were less willing.However, business leaders across the country expressed enthusiasm over the effects of remote working, reporting on average a 4.9% rise in customer satisfaction, a 3.6% increase in employee satisfaction and a 3.4% increase in productivity since 2020.Results of the survey have been particularly welcomed in Scotland, where the popularity of working remotely has increased by 254% since the arrival of the pandemic.

Hybrid working a boost for Scotland

Polling among skilled workers south of the border who expressed a willingness to relocate to enjoy more hybrid working, found that many would be happy to move to Scotland to achieve this, which would not only mean a multi-million boost for the Scottish economy but, according to a projection in the report, could see an influx of 238,000 employees to the nation.Mike Smith, director of large enterprise and public sector at Virgin Media O2 Business, said: “This research shows that embracing hybrid working can have concrete economic and societal impacts for Scotland and no doubt other areas of the UK - now business leaders need to ensure they are listening to their workforces and offer choice.“This includes access to technology but also training with the relevant hardware, apps, and security - supporting staff in this way will lead to happier employees, stronger sales and more modern and resilient regional economies. Mr Smith said, the research showed that embracing hybrid working could have positive economic and societal impacts across the UK as a whole.“Now, business leaders need to ensure they are listening to their workforces and offer choice," he added."This includes access to technology but also training with the relevant hardware, apps, and security."Supporting staff in this way will lead to happier employees, stronger sales and more modern and resilient regional economies.”The research found that, across the UK as a whole, employees wanted to spend a post-pandemic average of 2.35 days a week working remotely, increasing to 2.8 days among Scottish workers and falling to 2.0 days in SW and NW England."

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