Businesses are having to adapt to changing working patterns - Credit: Joe Giddens/PA

The last two years have seen a major shift to how people work, with a growing number of businesses permanently adopting flexible, hybrid working patterns. 

Research carried out by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), an organisation that represents managers, found that last year 80pc of managers already had a blended approach to working, while 93pc of managers said it was important to continue to offer a blended approach. 

Meanwhile, the latest Business Tracker research, published by accountants Grant Thornton, found that of the 604 businesses questioned, 310 were adopting a hybrid working approach and, of these, 65pc believed it improved their employees' wellbeing. 

While many companies are keen to continue offering flexible working patterns, not all businesses can, or want, to offer this new way of working. 

But those that fail to keep up with changing trends may find themselves struggling to recruit the best talent, particularly at a time when there is a skills shortage. 

The 'great resignation' that started in the second half of 2021 was, in part, driven by staff revaluating what they wanted from their jobs and lifestyles, which for many meant less time in the office and on the daily commute. 

Rebecca Headden, co-director of R13 - Credit: Rebecca Headden

Rebecca Headden, co-owner of Norwich-based recruitment agency R13, said: "As the world has changed and workers have become accustomed to having greater flexibility within their work-life balance, we are seeing job seekers expectations shift more favourably towards employers who are offering this, and likewise move away from employers who don’t. 

"Employers who have successfully been able to move to outcomes-focused goals, eliminating time constraints and allowing their workforce to adapt their working day around other responsibilities while still delivering the same or increased output, have seen an increase in interest and retention."

One business that had adapted to a new way of working before the pandemic was Norwich marketing agency Blink SEO, which implemented a four day working week in 2018 to help improve staff productivity. 

Sam Wright, founder and managing director of Blink SEO, said: "At the time I found productivity wasn't great on Friday particularly on a Friday afternoon, and we found we were finishing earlier and earlier and the energy and focus wasn't there. 

Sam Wright, founder and managing director at Blink, has introduced four day working weeks - Credit: Sam Wright

"It seemed like an experiment that was worth trying."

The company was one of the first in the country to trial a four day working week and it requires staff to work Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5.30pm. Employees receive a full-time salary and annual leave is calculated on a four day week basis. 

Mr Wright revealed that the change has been successful. 

He said: "Productivity in our company is very good, it's very strong. 

"We're a team of very capable, engaged, smart people that when they're into work that's what they're doing. We're really lucky with a talented team, so it's not been an issue for us." 

The new working pattern has also proved popular with staff. 

Mr Wright added: "We've had people give us really positive feedback since we've implemented it. Our staff retention and ability to attract really good people is really good. 

"I would say though, because we've been doing it for four years now, it's kind of evolved a lot over this time as well, particularly with remote working. 

"We've reduced our contact hours or online hours, so the team essentially have windows throughout the day where they're available for client calls or for internal calls and the rest is blocked out for time to focus on what we call deep work, so it's kind of sections of the day where they can block out everything else and really get stuck into things that require concentration. 

"I kind of put that on a par with four day week in terms of productivity, I feel that our people are energised because they're well rested and they're taking enough time off and then got that ability to really focus on things by removing distractions while the working week is going on." 

Although the move to a four day week has worked for the agency, Mr Wright understands that the type of work they do makes it easier for the business to implement a new working pattern. 

He said: "I think the industry that we're in makes it a lot easier. We're in a service-based business where things are done on a project basis. 

"We're not required to be on call for things, there is very little reactive work that needs to be done, everything is planned out in advance. We're in a privileged position that made it a lot easier to implement, other businesses will obviously have different challenges, but for us it was relatively straight forward."

Rachel Garrett, managing director at CMG Technologies, which successfully introduced a four day working week - Credit: CMG Technologies and Bob Foyers Photography

Another company that has successfully introduced a four day working week is Rendlesham-based CMG Technologies, which manufacturers and supplies metal injection moulding components for a range of sectors. 

Rachel Garrett, managing director at CMG Technologies, said: “The main focus behind introducing a four-day week was to improve the work-life balance of our employees. Our staff now work 87pc of their previous hours without a reduction in pay."

The business operates seven days a week, with staff working Monday to Thursday and Tuesday to Friday shift pattern, as well as having dedicated weekend staff. 

Ms Garrett added: "We haven’t experienced any disadvantages since introducing a four-day week, staff retention is high and there’s a real family atmosphere here.

“I appreciate not every company would be able to adapt to a four-day week but, for those who can, I strongly recommend it.”

For many businesses, moving to a four day working week is not an option, but some are choosing to implement flexible and hybrid working instead. 

Norwich-based marketing agency, Yawn Marketing, which has seven members of staff, is looking to introduced hybrid working that still supports its young team members. 

Grace Appleby, head of client services (pictured right) and Charlotte Gaines, marketing executive at Yawn Marketing - Credit: Yawn Marketing

Grace Appleby, head of client services at Yawn Marketing, said: "Our team has tripled in size in the space of nine months so, quite quickly, we find ourselves having to look at the way we work from a new perspective. 

"As a digital marketing company, there isn't much we can't do remotely - as a young and growing team, there's still a lot of value to be had from being together, in-person, and learning from one another in a dynamic setting." 

Ms Appleby explained that the company chose a central city office location to help make it more accessible for staff and to help improve work-life balance. 

She added: "Fundamentally, we want to ensure that the workspace we have is a nice place to be. Whether folks want to be in the office every day of the week, or less frequently, we think it’s important to offer a consistent, safe, and welcoming environment that we can enjoy being in.

"That said - now that our team is bigger and their needs are diversifying, we’ve been taking the time to talk to each person individually to discuss how we could make their day-to-day working life easier. Questions to consider like: where and how do you feel most productive?.

"Be that flexitime, to avoid the morning rush-hour traffic, or having the freedom to work from home when needed - we’re in the process of finalising a flexible working policy based directly on the needs and wants of our team, rather than introducing initiatives that no one asked for, for the sake of ticking a box."