As Brits return to work, thousands are planning to quit their jobs with companies that insist on a full-time return to the office. That could spell trouble for transport & storage sector companies, says the home delivery expert Parcelhero. Just 8.3% of firms say they are adopting increased homeworking as a permanent business model.

Transport & storage sector companies could find themselves at a disadvantage on the jobs market, says the home delivery expert Parcelhero. Two-thirds of recruiters have seen a surge in applicants looking for new jobs after their employers insisted staff return to the office and three-quarters have seen candidates turn down roles that don’t offer hybrid working. However, a new Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey reveals transport & storage sector firms are significantly less likely to offer homeworking compared to their manufacturing or retail partners.

Parcelhero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, says: ‘The survey is very revealing about industry attitudes to working from home. Only 8.3% of transport & storage sector companies (the category which includes logistics, parcels, haulage and warehousing employers) say they plan to use increased homeworking as a permanent business model. In comparison, 9.1% of their manufacturing partners and 14% of their retail partners are adopting hybrid working.

‘More significantly, a whopping 48.2% of transport & storage firms say increased homeworking is not applicable to their business, compared to just 26.7% of manufacturers and 28.1% of retailers who believe increased homeworking is not applicable to them.

‘Of course, in some ways, these transport & storage sector employers are correct. Drivers and warehouse operatives need to be physically in their driving seats or distribution centres and cannot work from home. However, this does seem to have created an anti-homeworking mindset within the sector, which isn’t seen in many others. 

‘The next most frequent reason for not accepting increased homeworking given by transport & storage companies is concern over integrating new starters into the workplace. 8.4% of transport & storage companies give this as their reason for not considering increased homeworking. In contrast, just 6.5% of manufacturers and 6.9% of retailers share this concern. The transport & storage sector’s other main objection is potential reduced communication with staff (6.1%).

‘Not adopting hybrid working could certainly dent the sector’s ability to recruit new staff in the future, if the findings of a recent International Workspace Group (IWG) survey into hybrid working are correct. Three-quarters of recruiters are seeing job offers turned down by applicants because they don’t offer working from home (WFH).

‘The industry is already counting the cost. The ONS survey reveals 13.1% of transport & storage companies are asking staff to work longer hours (compared to 11.8% of manufacturers and 8.8% of retailers) and 11% have been unable to meet demand (compared to 6.4% of manufacturers and 8% of retailers). The result is that 5.5% of transport & storage firms have had to put parts of their business on pause, as opposed to fewer than 1% of manufacturers and just 2.8% of retailers who have had to take this measure.

‘To be blunt, if transport & storage sector companies continue to say no to WFH then there could be a sector-wide skills shortage. Experienced managers, customer service and IT staff will turn to other industries that offer more flexible working practices. Parcelhero itself has embraced home working, ensuring we attract and keep skilled professionals. 

‘Working from home is just one of the transformations that technology is enabling across the logistics and wider retail sector. The e-commerce revolution is transforming both home deliveries and the High Street. Parcelhero’s Study on the future of retail looks at changes to working practices, supply chains and both online and physical stores. You can find out more at: https://www.parcelhero.com/research/shop-of-the-future

Transport & Logistics – Driving The Industry Forward