In a recent wellbeing survey conducted internally by the firm, 93% of the 2206 people who responded reported that they believe hybrid working – being able to work where and when works best for them - allows them to be more productive.
The survey also explored how it impacts their wellbeing. It found that almost all (91%) respondents believe that a hybrid working approach supports their wellbeing - only 1% disagreed.
Last summer, Grant Thornton introduced a ‘Framework for how we work’, outlining the founding principles of how the firm will work moving forward. It was introduced as a guide to inform people’s discussions and support decision making about hybrid working.
It outlines that most of the firm will work between 1-4 days per week in an office or at a client site for collaboration and project work, and the rest of the working week from home or wherever is needed to continue to deliver high quality work and client service.
In the first two weeks following the easing of restrictions in February, 63% of people in Grant Thornton have visited an office for, on average, one and a half days a week.
This follows the firm’s latest Business Outlook Tracker* which surveyed 601 mid-sized businesses at the end of last year and found that, prior to the implementation of ‘plan B’ in early December, a hybrid working approach was the most common working practice in the mid-market, with 88% of businesses working this way.
“It’s clear that work is no longer a location; it is what we do. Our firm’s approach to how we work going forward will be agile in nature. It is not fixed, particularly as we continue to transition from this period of restrictions. We are committed to learning and adapting as we go, taking the best of how we worked before the pandemic and retaining what we’ve learned throughout the last two years.
“While our offices are all now open, our aim is not to encourage everyone back into the office five days a week – it’s about encouraging and empowering people to decide for themselves the best approach to take for the type of work they have to do. We do believe that the office remains an integral part of working life, for networking, collaboration and training, but it will no longer be a daily visit for the majority of our people.
“We believe that trusting our people to decide how, where and when they work, enabled by our effective use of digital technology, will help us get the best from each other, deliver genuine value to our clients, make our firm more inclusive and create a more sustainable firm for the future. We can already see that a hybrid working approach is having a positive impact on our people’s productivity and wellbeing, and we’ll continue to listen to our people and adapt as we go.
“Our framework for how we work ensures that when we are making choices about where and when we’re working, our people have the support and tools needed to ensure we all do the right thing. This trust-based working will help the whole firm feel equally valued, included and supported to deliver high-quality work while maintaining a work-life balance.”
*The Grant Thornton Business Outlook Tracker is a bi-monthly survey of mid-market businesses. Censuswide (on behalf of Grant Thornton UK LLP) surveyed 601 senior decision makers in UK mid-market businesses between 26 November – 6 December 2021. The UK mid-market is defined as companies with an annual turnover between £50million - £500million.
