Flexible working is here to stay, say UK nonprofits

While nine in ten people working for UK nonprofits believe that flexible working policies are the future and eight in ten would like to work from home more, almost as many (75%) confess that the boundaries between work and home lives are more blurred. Those working in the sector also highlight a worrying deterioration in wellbeing over the past year.

These are the findings of a new report from Blackbaud Europe, produced in partnership with the Resource Alliance.

The Future of Work Report 2021 reveals the results of an online survey of over 800 nonprofit participants carried out in the first two months of this year. The report explores how they perceive their organisation’s response to the pandemic, the benefits and challenges of remote working, and expectations for the future.

Looking back at the past year, the large majority of respondents said they felt their employer had adapted well to the current situation, that they had demonstrated care and concern about employee wellbeing and that they felt trusted by their manager to do their job. Almost two thirds (64%) say they feel that people are now more likely to be judged on the impact of their work, rather than the number of hours spent working.

While there is great appetite for home-based and flexible working, almost one in four (23%) do not want to work from home for the long-term and a large proportion (87%) say they have missed face-to-face interaction with their colleagues.

Organisations have clearly become more agile, with 80% of respondents saying that their organisation was open to change and 77% saying they were willing to innovate and try new things. The report also emphasises the key role of technology in enabling people to work remotely and organisations to adapt.

The past year has brought a great deal of changes to many aspects of people’s lives, with around half (48%) of those surveyed reporting that their overall wellbeing had deteriorated during the pandemic and 57% reporting a decline in emotional wellbeing. The report questions whether employers may now have to re-evaluate what their duty of care is and how they can support their workforce in the return to ‘business as usual’ and beyond.

Sally Falvey, Head of Corporate Go-To-Market, Blackbaud Europe, highlights the challenges for nonprofit leaders as they plan their way forward, as while remote working can work well, it’s not necessarily appealing, effective or healthy for everyone at all times.

“Leaders at charities in particular must be mindful of this as they consider adapting their workforce strategy and culture – doing so with empathy and sensitivity of the different lived experiences of their employees over the last 12+ months. Balance is key and for many organisations that we talked to in putting together this report, the future of work is not 100% working from home, or 100% office based. There’s a hybrid model in between.“

See the full report here.

Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash