📢 Hybrid work promised more autonomy. For many people, it has also meant longer hours and denser days.

The Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) is launching a new suite of reports on this, drawing on the Working@Home project led by Professor Abigail Marks (funded by the ESRC and Newcastle University). The launch webinar is at midday on Tuesday 29 September. 🗓️

The research, based on surveys and interviews with UK workers, points to two patterns:

⚡ Intensification: more meetings, more messages, more task-switching and fewer natural breaks.

🏠 Extensification: work spilling into evenings, weekends and spaces like kitchens and bedrooms.

The impact is not equal. It varies by gender, seniority, caring responsibility and socio-economic resource.

One idea from the research is particularly relevant to how organisations approach flexible working: "moral architecture". When a workplace carries its old view of "good work" into hybrid arrangements unchanged, fast replies and being always on can start to count for more than quality outputs. Flexibility then becomes a burden rather than a benefit.

The panel, chaired by Kester Brewin, includes Professor Abigail Marks, Graeme Burns (recently Head of AI and People Strategy, Nationwide), Professor Jonathan Morris (Cardiff) and Lila Skountridaki (Edinburgh). They will discuss how good work design can support the goals of the Keep Britain Working review.

🔗 Details and sign-up: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-flex-fair-hybrid-work-wellbeing-and-good-work-design-tickets-2002138706768?aff=oddtdtcreator