RTO pressure | 1 million+ workers have changed jobs over a lack of flexibility, CIPD finds

New CIPD research reveals a growing mismatch between employer and employee expectations that saw more than a million UK workers – and younger workers in particular - leave their jobs in the past year due to a lack of flexibility.

The research also points to growing tension between employers and employees over hybrid working. More than half of UK employees (53%) said they felt pressure to spend more time in the workplace and more than one in ten (14%) employers plan to introduce or increase mandated days in the office.

Despite the increasing pressure from bosses, people’s appetite for flexibility remains strong. Three per cent of employees surveyed say they have left a job in the last year (since January 2024) due to a lack of flexible working, representing around 1.1million workers in the UK.

In response, the CIPD is calling for a more balanced approach to return-to-workplace mandates, that considers both business and employee needs, supporting collaboration, talent attraction and retention, while giving people the flexibility they value. The latest report also highlights the need for organisations to adopt more flexible working arrangements like flexi-time, job sharing and compressed hours, so people who aren’t able to work from home can also benefit from flexibility.