Almost a 3rd of UK employees imagine being current within the workplace is rewarded when employers make promotion selections, regardless of the persevering with shift in direction of hybrid and distant working, in accordance with new analysis from HR expertise agency HiBob. The analysis discovered that 30 p.c of employees imagine workplace presence is rewarded in promotion selections, the identical proportion who cited income supply. Visibility to senior management was cited by 34 p.c of respondents, whereas 33 p.c stated fixed availability was rewarded, suggesting staff proceed to see bodily and organisational visibility as vital elements in profession development.
The findings come forward of deliberate modifications to UK employment legislation supposed to strengthen staff’ entry to versatile working. From 2027, employers are anticipated to face stronger necessities round statutory flexible-working requests, though the exact obligations will rely upon the ultimate laws and accompanying laws.
HiBob’s findings recommend that modifications to employment rights could have restricted impact on working tradition if employers don’t additionally rethink the best way they assess efficiency, recognise contribution and make selections about profession development. Perceptions concerning the significance of visibility additionally seem like influencing staff’ selections about when to attend the office.
Greater than 1 / 4 of respondents, 28 p.c, stated better visibility to their supervisor was one of many elements that made working within the workplace interesting. In the meantime, 13 p.c stated they’d been excluded from an vital determination as a result of they weren’t within the workplace, highlighting the potential penalties for workers who spend extra of their working time remotely.
The analysis additionally factors to continued progress in versatile working. HiBob stated the proportion of staff working remotely or underneath a hybrid association elevated from 52 p.c in 2025 to 64 p.c in 2026. The proportion who would favor to work remotely or in a hybrid mannequin rose much more sharply, from 64 p.c to 77 p.c over the identical interval.
Nirit Peled-Muntz, chief folks officer at HiBob, stated the findings indicated a mismatch between formal flexible-working insurance policies and the best way staff imagine their contribution is assessed. “The legislation can – and will – give folks the precise to ask for flexibility. It can’t change what managers select to reward,” she stated. “If staff imagine displaying their face within the workplace issues as a lot as delivering income, that could be a administration drawback. You can not name your self a versatile organisation whereas promotion nonetheless depends upon proximity, visibility and who occurs to be within the room.”
Peled-Muntz stated employers wanted a clearer understanding of the abilities staff possess, their influence and the worth they create reasonably than counting on visibility or availability as proxies for efficiency. As working patterns proceed to alter, she argued, organisations additionally have to adapt the best way they handle, develop and promote their staff. “The following part of versatile working can’t simply be about the place individuals are allowed to work. It must be about constructing organisations that recognise expertise and contribution wherever they sit,” she stated. “In any other case, versatile working dangers turning into a contemporary coverage sitting on high of an outdated administration mannequin.”
