Businesses and workers in the UK may have finally reached a compromise on the return-to-office debate five years after the start of the pandemic, data by recruitment specialist Robert Half has suggested.

According to the latest Robert Half Jobs Confidence Index, 51% of organisations believe attracting new staff will be difficult without remote options, down from 61% in 2024.

The number of people seeking a new role to access flexible working arrangements also fell to 23%, down from 29% in 2024. This suggests that employees are happier with the current combination of office and remote set-ups or hybrid working.

“The last five years have seen a step change in how and where people work, but the big focus recently has been on the return to the office, with workers and businesses at odds for some time over what a good balance looks like,” Matt Weston, Robert Half’s senior managing director for the UK and Ireland, said in a press release on 10 March.

“Now, though, it seems as if we have finally reached a turning point, with the number of workers who believe that a lack of remote working will impact staff attraction and retention now falling.”

A September report by the Centre for Cities revealed that workers in London now spend 2.7 working days in the office, up from 2.2 days in 2023.

The World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic on 11 March 2020, leading to lockdowns in more than 100 countries. On 23 March 2020, then-prime minister Boris Johnson announced the UK’s first national lockdown, forcing millions of people to work from home.

However, Weston noted that being in the office does not mean that flexible working has been eliminated, saying it was important to enhance productivity, retention and overall job satisfaction.

“With firms facing skills shortages and a stubbornly tight labour market, adopting these practices can result in a more engaged and satisfied workforce as well as greater organisational success,” he added.