Women more likely than men to leave if hybrid work not allowed
Hybrid work is here to stay – at least if employees who have tried it can decide. More than four out of five who worked in hybrid models over the past two years prefer retaining them, according to a study by consultancy McKinsey. Women are 10% more likely than men to leave if hybrid work would not be allowed.
“At a time when organizations are plagued by burnout, mental-health issues, and record numbers of employees leaving their jobs, leaders who see in-person work as a return to normality must confront just how strongly employees feel about flexible workplace models and their growing leverage to pursue them”, the researchers write in a report.
“We found that more than two out of three employees who prefer hybrid models say they are likely to look for other opportunities if asked to return fully on-site.”
The report says that hybrid work has the potential to offer a higher level of flexibility, a better work–life balance, and a more tailored employee experience.
But the authors say hybrid work also has the potential to create an unequal playing field and to amplify in-group versus out-group dynamics, which can flip those advantages to the liabilities side of the ledger.
‘For workplaces already challenged to diversify and retain employees, adopting ill-conceived hybrid work models could instead speed departures, decrease inclusion, and harm performance’, the repoprt warns.
Despite the variability of hybrid work, employees appear hooked on it and unwilling to let it go. In the survey, 75% of all respondents said that they prefer a hybrid working model. Only 25% said they prefer to be fully on-site.
Of employees currently working in a hybrid model, 85% want it retained going forward. This strong preference appears across industries, geographies, and demographic boundaries, the authors report.
More than 70% of men and women expressed strong preferences for hybrid work, but nonbinary employees were 14% more likely to prefer it.
Younger employees (18–34 years old) were 59% more likely to leave than older ones (55–64 years old) if hybrid work not be available.
The report is written by associate partners Bonnie Dowling and Drew Goldstein and senior partner Michael Park.
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