Published on: 25th Mar 2022
Reading time: Approx 6 mins

UK Work-life Update: After the subsiding COVID-19 cases, the UK Government announced that work-from-home policy is no longer mandatory. Following which, many companies introduced the “Hybrid Work Policy” in September 2021.

Under the hybrid work style, the staff’s working days are split into – work from office and work from home. Both the employers and the employees anticipated that this policy would offer the best of both worlds and would establish work & personal life balance. Though, reality did not favour them either. Soon, the employees felt extreme level burnout.

A part-remote, part-office schedule has pushed some employees on the edge of burnout. Employees have two workplaces to maintain – one in the office and one at home. It involves daily planning and a stop-start routine, it’s the psychological shift – the change of planning each day – which is tiresome. There is this constant feeling of ‘never being settled’ and stress that follows.

A consistent and orderly routine helps people cope with feelings of stress and unreliability. Hybrid work mode, however, requires frequent changes to those daily habits, so it’s hard to go with a suitable schedule. Hybrid practices haven’t become second nature yet, it takes up mental energy, organisation and planning. Employees have to be prepared to make a daily shift from working in the office and then home. The same wouldn’t be necessary if the staff is fully remote or in-person.

Hybrid can also come with a greater risk of digital presentism; workers feel the pressure to show their boss they’re not taking advantage of working from home. This leads to overworking and eventually burnout.

‘Hybrid’ is a very broad and subjective concept. It all comes down to what an organisation puts forth under this policy; from going to the office three days a week or once a month. Hybrid can still be the future of work and offer the best of both worlds. Although, it needs to be re-structured. A structure that benefits the employee and the organisation. Workers should be allowed to take control over their working patterns, it’s more to do with the mindset than the company functional hours.

Employees no longer want to be tied to a single address. By far, the best option for employees is a Flexible-Hybrid Model. Under this model, work can be done remotely, without having to be at home. UK firms could even begin offering staff a four-day working week. This is because millions of British people have developed a preference for flexible working during the pandemic.

Employees are closer to family, have better physical and mental health, improved productivity, not restricted to one location and zero commute time. The hybrid model is also great for diversity and inclusion as companies can look at a wider talent pool.

A study published in November by Virgin Media O2 Business and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) found that the positive effects of hybrid working could save the NHS more than £ 4 billion per year. Physical and mental health benefits of hybrid working could reduce incidence of fatal diseases and reduce pressure on healthcare services.

The study also found that an increase in hybrid working could bring 3.8 million people back into the workforce and could boost GDP by £ 48 billion annually as part-time workers increase their working hours.

Special international freelance visas for digital nomads and remote workers are finally here! Employees can now live & work from a Caribbean island or a historic European city.

Travelling the world while working online from your laptop has been a dream for millions of employees. However, working from foreign countries while travelling on a tourist visa is technically illegal in most places.
One thing that proved advantageous during the pandemic was – introducing a visa for digital nomads and freelance/remotely working employees. Some countries have recognized this demand and incorporated “digital nomad visas”, “remote work visas”, or “freelancer visas” specifically to entice foreigners to come work & contribute to their economies.

Many of these destinations are hoping the remote work visas will generate income to help make-up for the loss in tourism revenue due to the pandemic.

We, as an immigration law firm, cater to many countries and special categories of visas offered by these countries. You can get in touch with us to book a consultation with our UK-qualified Solicitor to understand about various immigration routes to UK, USA, Canada, Portugal, Malta, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Antigua, St. Kitts & Nevis, Dominica and more such amazing destinations!

Reach out to us on