The introduction of work/life balance legislation last year has had a negligible impact on the number of people working remotely, according to Ibec’s latest Workplace Trends Report.
Based on a survey of almost 400 member employers, the report finds that fewer companies are concerned about the challenge of recruiting for on-site roles and there have been increased requirements for existing staff to attend the office.
Although the number of companies operating the most common form of hybrid model, based on three days a week in the office, has remained stable at 31 per cent, the number of firms requiring full-time attendance is up from 26 per cent to 30 per cent.
There has been a decline in the number of employers providing for two days on-site working per week, from 22 per cent to 18 per cent, and a slight reduction, from 14 per cent to 13 per cent, in those operating a fully remote system for some of their employees.
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The number of those setting minimum attendance at four days in the office, however, has increased from just 1 per cent to 9 per cent.
Despite the slight upward trend, a majority of firms, 63 per cent, say they have no plans to increase requirements in 2026 – although 37 per cent do suggest they are considering changes for at least some of their roles.
In terms of recruitment, fewer than half of companies say they now find it more difficult to fill on-site jobs compared to 52 per cent a year ago.
Overall, Maeve McElwee, Ibec’s executive director of employer relations, said, “The survey evidence points towards the stabilising impact of established workplace norms, with office attendance patterns better understood and adaptive to the needs of both employers and employees.”
In terms of 2026, Ms McElwee said, “When you look at the high number of companies not planning to change their office attendance policies, as well as the relatively low number of employees formally requesting to work from home, it suggests that the tension around remote and hybrid work is not as intense as often perceived.”
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More than 70 per cent of firms said they had experienced no change in the number of applications received for remote or hybrid working in the wake of the Work Life Balance Act in March 2024.
It “has had little or no impact on the number of staff applying for flexible or remote working”, she said.
The easing of pressure on employers to facilitate hybrid working is reflected in the wider survey questions regarding priorities, with 14 per cent citing employee expectation in the area as their most pressing concern and 41 per cent placing it in their top five.
Issues around auto-enrolment, the implementation of the pay transparency directive and Gender Pay Gap reporting are all of more immediate concern, the figures suggest.
Average pay increase by the firms surveyed was 3.6 per cent this year, with staff turnover at 8.3 per cent, the research found.
On artificial intelligence, the report suggests more than half of employers have workplace policies or are developing them. However, Ibec said implementation is progressing slowly because many employers have limited internal expertise and there is often concern over data privacy and security.
