13 Nov 2024Hybrid working has become the 'new normal' for about a quarter of working adults since the pandemic, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). There are significant divisions within the workforce between those who are able to benefit from greater flexibility and those whose job requires them to be present in the workplace. It is generally older employees in more senior positions with higher level qualifications able to take advantage of hybrid working. Parents were more likely to follow a hybrid working pattern, the ONS found, with 35% of those surveyed between April and June saying they worked partly at home, compared with 24% of non-parents. Fathers were far more likely to be hybrid workers than mothers — with 41% splitting their time between home and the workplace, compared with just 30% of mothers. This could reflect the fact that women are already more likely to be outside the workforce for family reasons, or to work part-time. Women also represent a larger share of the workforce in sectors such as teaching, retail or care where face-to-face work is the norm, while men are better represented in sectors such as IT where remote working is prevalent. Among non-parents, working habits differed little by gender, with 25% of women and 24% of men following a hybrid working pattern.