BSI launches research into how young people are affected by hybrid working

Young people who began their careers around the start of the Covid-19 pandemic or soon after are being invited to share their experiences of the workplace, as part of an inquiry into the effects of hybrid working. To mark five years since the first lockdowns began globally, business standards and improvement company BSI is investigating the impact of the restrictions on younger workers, and how transformed ways of working have shaped subsequent career journeys. As part of this BSI has opened a public call for evidence, inviting submissions from individuals or groups with relevant experience on the topic.

BSI’s inquiry, part of its Evolving Together series on the Future of Work, will look at areas including job satisfaction, mental and psychological well-being, frequency of job changes, and earning potential, as well as exploring how hybrid management is shaping skills development and career progression.

The aim is to understand what steps can be taken to ensure younger workers can thrive and play a productive part in their businesses, helping them to grow and supporting the economy more broadly. This follows news that the number of long-term sick British women aged 16-24 has more than doubled from 52,000 to 117,600 over a decade, with men in this cohort also almost twice as likely to be off sick.

It will also explore the impact of remote or hybrid working models on workers starting out in roles where this is generally unavailable, for example healthcare, retail or construction, and how their experience has been coloured by this wider context. The study will also assess whether the changes of recent years have created opportunities, such as enhancing diversity in recruitment or making roles more accessible.

Kate Field, Global Head of Human and Social Sustainability, BSI, said: “As we approach five years since the pandemic fundamentally reshaped the working world, many questions abound. While individual organizations must find the structure that works for them, flexibility is increasingly central to the conversation. Hybrid structures are now the norm for some, but not for all and certainly not for all jobs.

“For those who started work as the world locked down, their experiences have necessarily been distinct to prior generations’ – and we don’t yet have a clear picture on the impact of that on their career progression, well-being or wider experiences, either short or long term. But younger workers, as with those further on in their careers, have an enormous amount to contribute. We believe it is critical to build greater understanding, so that they have the opportunity to flourish at work and help their businesses and the economy to grow.”