Over a million have changed jobs over a lack of flexibility as half of UK employees feel return-to-office pressure, new CIPD research finds

New CIPD research reveals a growing mismatch between employer and employee expectations that saw more than a million UK workers – and younger workers in particular* - leave their jobs in the past year due to a lack of flexibility.

The research also points to growing tension between employers and employees over hybrid working. More than half of UK employees (53%) said they felt pressure to spend more time in the workplace and more than one in ten (14%) employers plan to introduce or increase mandated days in the office.

Despite the increasing pressure from bosses, people’s appetite for flexibility remains strong. Three per cent of employees surveyed say they have left a job in the last year (since January 2024) due to a lack of flexible working, representing around 1.1 million workers in the UK**.

In response, the CIPD is calling for a more balanced approach to return-to-workplace mandates, that considers both business and employee needs, supporting collaboration, talent attraction and retention, while giving people the flexibility they value. The latest report also highlights the need for organisations to adopt more flexible working arrangements like flexi-time, job sharing and compressed hours, so people who aren’t able to work from home can also benefit from flexibility.

The CIPD’s Flexible and hybrid working practices in 2025 report, based on a survey of 2,000 employers and 5,000 employees, provides a snapshot of flexible working more than one year since UK workers gained the legal right to request flexible working from their first day at work.

While most organisations (91%) offer some form of flexible working, the push to bring people back into the office more regularly is gaining pace, with two in three employees (70%) agreeing that most pressure is coming from senior leaders.

Just over half of organisations surveyed (51%) require employees to be on-site a minimum number of days per week — most commonly three — and a further 14% mandate a certain number of office days per month. The most common reasons cited for more time in the workplace are to improve connections and relationships, improve collaboration, boost engagement, and support onboarding and training.

However, these ambitions must also be considered alongside efforts to attract and retain people, especially given many organisations continue to grapple with hard-to-fill vacancies and skills shortages***. There are also clear benefits for individuals. Four in five workers (80%) say flexible working has improved their quality of life, and a third (33%) report a positive impact on their career prospects— up from 22% in 2022.

Claire McCartney, policy and practice manager at the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, said:

“There’s a clear mismatch between what some employers are pushing for and what many employees value. Hybrid working has benefits for employee satisfaction and attracting and retaining talent, often supporting those with health conditions, disabilities or caring responsibilities to remain and thrive in work. However, it can also bring challenges for employers, particularly around organisation culture, connection to organisation purpose and the ability of managers to lead their teams effectively.

“But it doesn’t have to be an either/or situation. This may mean designating in-office days for team collaboration, while preserving flexibility for focused work at home. There’s no one size fits all and for many organisations, it’s about finding the right balance that supports people's performance and wellbeing, while meeting the needs of the business.”

Many organisations are already taking steps to make the office experience more attractive. Over half (53%) of those offering hybrid working have introduced incentives, such as improved workspaces, team-building activities, flexible hours, free food and drink, and commuter benefits.

McCartney added:

“It’s good to see employers thinking about how they can make their workplace experience more valuable for their people. But decisions around hybrid working should be based on evidence — not assumptions or pressure from the top. Consulting employees and measuring the impact on performance, satisfaction and retention will lead to more sustainable outcomes for everyone.”

Read the report