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Gloucestershire Business News

PRODUCTIVITY: one in 10 admit to snoozing on the job

If you thought that taking a siesta was something your staff might do on their annual holidays, wake up and smell the data.

A new report on some of the less desirable habits of employees working from home (WFH) looks likely to be an alarm call for Gloucestershire employers.

According to a survey from no-sugar energy drinks maker Reign Storm, nearly one in 10 staff admitted to having a furtive nap while clocked on and working from home.

With an estimated 4.3m people napping on the clock, the estimated cost for employers could be up to £0.5bn a week in lost productivity. Could these numbers be an early warning that WHF culture is leading to disengagement and poor motivation?

The shock finding – which includes the revelation that the most popular period of the day to doze off is between 3pm and 4pm - comes against the backdrop of a survey of 150 business leaders by KPMG UK. It reveals that more than three quarters (76%) of financial services leaders across the UK are planning to increase office attendance in the next 12 months.

Here in Gloucestershire, we are already seeing initiatives to incentivise office morale: notably, Gloucester-based kitchenware supplier Pro Cook has instigated a fish and chip Fridays end to the working week, while, as discussed last week on Breakfast Briefers , domain suppliers Fasthosts have taken measures to make team work more cohesive.

The survey of leaders in insurance, banking, wealth management and private equity suggested 37% of those planning to increase attendance are expecting staff to be in the office at least four days a week - and that data is being identified as a push to restore a more traditional home-work life balance in the wake of disruption from the Pandemic which led to a surge in WFH patterns.

KMPG said employers are keen to promote in-person collaboration, while also seeing the competitive advantage of hybrid working. Any drive to push staff back into a commuting lifesyle could be awkward though: separate research earlier this year suggested 90% of company bosses themselves regularly work from home.

If hybrid working looks set to stay though, it is not without a pushback from many companies. While KMPG reports that 42% of UK financial services leaders don't believe hybrid working is a competitive opportunity, they are also wary that as few as one in 10 staff wish to be in the office full-time.

Karim Haji, Global and UK head of financial services at KPMG, said: "There is no one-size fits all approach to this and businesses are still trying to find the hybrid working sweet spot more than two years on from the Pandemic.

"Leaders see the commercial value of hybrid working models, particularly when it comes to attracting and retaining talent, but they are still expecting greater office attendance in the coming months to retain collaboration with colleagues and clients. Leaders also have to balance regulatory and risk pressures as part of managing hybrid models, which will be a contributing factor for getting staff back into the office."

He added: "What is important is that companies find the right balance that works for their business and their employees. This will ensure that the sector retains good people and fosters a collaborative, productive culture that is successful and competitive."

Almost half of financial services leaders also plan to monitor office attendance through card swipe systems: KMPG says 45% of bosses are eyeing the technology, followed by 40% using timesheets. Just under a third (29%) say they will install digital cameras.

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