A new study has found Google searches for hybrid work have soared over the past 12 months, particularly from March onwards.
US workers are increasingly keen to make the traditional Monday to Friday in-office schedule a thing of the past, as one firm reveals there has been a 130% increase in Google searches around hybrid work in the last year.
It may have once seemed unorthodox; however, due to the pandemic, there has been an undeniable shift toward it being the preferred style of working.
The new analysis by Frank Recruitment Group shows an upwards trend in searches around the topic over the past 12 months, with figures rising significantly in March.
|
Month |
Oct-21 |
Nov-21 |
Dec-21 |
Jan-22 |
Feb-22 |
Mar-22 |
Apr-22 |
May-22 |
Jun-22 |
Jul-22 |
Aug-22 |
Sep-22 |
|
Average Search Volume |
9240 |
11,810 |
10,120 |
14,420 |
14,850 |
20,210 |
20,380 |
19,100 |
20,400 |
21,480 |
23,560 |
21,240 |
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this jump coincides with Biden’s announcement that “it’s time for Americans to get back to work,” which sparked many companies to call for their employees to return to the office full-time. While some were pleased to hear this, the data suggests others had taken a liking to working a combination of both remote and in-office.
Recent research also suggests this trend isn’t confined to specific roles either, with 39% of tech professionals reportedly preferring hybrid work, 58% of those in the financial services desiring hybrid working in the future, and only 3% of white-collar workers wanting to return to the office full-time.
With 4.1 million Americans quitting in September – a figure only slightly lower than the peak of 4.5 million earlier in the year – hybrid work could be vital to retaining and attracting talent amid its popularity. One survey of over 1,000 US workers found that 60% would rather quit their job than return to office life five days a week, while another of 1,500 US employees found that 85% of respondents wanted to go hybrid.
Frank Recruitment Group’s analysis found a whopping 494% increase in searches for “hybrid jobs near me,” suggesting that many Americans are looking for hybrid work.
There was also an astonishing 515% rise in searches for “hybrid work meaning” and a 120% increase for both the searches “what is hybrid work” and “what is hybrid working,” indicating Americans are interested in discovering what a hybrid work model could look like for them.
“Now more than ever, employees are searching to strike the right balance between work and their personal life, and offering a reasonable level of flexibility with a hybrid work schedule can go a long way towards achieving this. The time that was once spent commuting to the office could instead be spent relaxing, taking a walk, or catching up with loved ones – whatever they choose,” said Rowan O’Grady, President of Americas at Frank Recruitment Group.
“However, before you implement a hybrid work model within your company, first you must learn what style would meet your staff’s needs. Find out how many days a week they would like to work from home, if certain days are preferable, and of course, whether they would even like a hybrid model. Not everyone might want to work from home or have a suitable environment to do so, and they must know they can still come into the office full-time.
“Once you have gathered this feedback, you can decide the best way to do it. Certain teams within a department can arrange set days to come into the office together, allowing them to experience the benefits that in-office work has to offer. It can be a great way for employees to collaborate on projects and learn from one another – whether by noticing how someone approaches a task or asking a quick question on how to use a program. This can be especially useful for employees who are just starting out in their career, are new to the company or need to develop or fine-tune their skills.”
Methodology
A long list of 125 search terms around hybrid work was collated using keyword research tools. The search volume data and percentage increase/decrease in searches for each term were then collected using https://keywordtool.io/. Subsequently, the dataset was ranked by the search volume data to identify the top ten. The data corresponds to searches conducted on Google in the US from 1st Oct 2021 – 30th Sept 2022. Data is accurate as of 09/11/2022.