In our recent Parameters survey we asked you for your views on working from home, working in the office and a hybrid approach. We also asked whether hybrid working was here to stay.
The Covid pandemic forced companies to introduce a working from home (WFH) policy, which changed the way advice firms viewed mandatory time in the office. Many firms saw the advantages and continued with WFH home post the pandemic, some wanted their staff back in the office full time, while others have adopted a hybrid – where staff may come into the office 2 or 3 days a week but otherwise work from home.
As the table below shows, there has been a marked shift in how many days are worked in the office now compared to pre-Covid – notably pre Covid 76% od respondents worked full time in the office compared to just 16% now.
The results of our survey showed that how paraplanners now view where they work is affected by a balance between three main factors: flexibility, productivity and connection.
So, which approach do paraplanners prefer and why?
Do you prefer to work in the office, WFH or hybrid?
In the office 11%
WFH 33%
Hybrid 55%
Hybrid working
As can be seen from the survey results, over half of paraplanners said they preferred the hybrid working approach.
Those preferring hybrid, said it struck the right balance between focus and collaboration. Feedback was that the office can be noisy or full of interruptions and home-based days were valuable for concentrated tasks such as report writing and research, but being in the office provided essential opportunities to share knowledge, support colleagues, and build relationships.
Hybrid working was seen as giving “the best of both worlds”, freedom to work productively from home, free from distractions, while also valuing office time to catch up with advisers, hold discussions face-to-face, and maintain a sense of inclusion in the team.
Paraplanners often cite the need for deep focus when tackling a complex case and writing suitability reports and the opportunity to WFH was seen as offering that advantage.
Hybrid was also seen as helping support family commitments, offering a degree of flexibility without losing the benefits of in-person collaboration.
The ability to tailor the working week – quiet days for focus at home, combined with social and collaborative days in the office – was seen as enhancing both efficiency and job satisfaction.
Home working preferred
Those paraplanners with a preference for full-time home working cited the key drivers being productivity, time efficiency, and cost savings. Without the distractions of a busy office and lengthy commutes, many said they found they could produce higher-quality work in less time.
Some paraplanners noted that commuting can be both “exhausting and expensive”, reducing overall output and work-life balance. Remote working was seen remove this barrier, freeing up energy and time for focussed tasks.
For others, home working has become essential for family life, but with online meetings and digital collaboration tools still allowing for effective teamwork without the need to be in the office. Respondents said that remote work has not diminished their ability to engage with colleagues, as they used regular online or occasional face-to-face meetings to maintain strong connections with the rest of their team.
Office working preferred
A smaller group of paraplanners said they favoured working primarily from the office. A key reason was the collaboration with advisers and the rest of the team which they felt was best achieved face-to-face. They argue that complex issues can be resolved more quickly in person, and that paraplanning, by its nature, benefits from close integration with advisers’ work.
Others point out that working from home can feel solitary, and that the social interaction of the office environment is important for wellbeing. Quick conversations at a colleague’s desk often feel more natural and effective than scheduling a Teams call or sending multiple emails.
Companies’ approach to new ways of working
Management at firms have struggled with hybrid/WFH so we also asked how firms had approached the matter and whether paraplanners were happy with the approach taken. Here’s what you said:
Did your company mandate that you had to work in the office?
Yes, full time 15%
Yes, hybrid arrangement, set number of days in office and WFH 55%
Yes, hybrid arrangement, but I can choose ratio of office to home working 17%
No, my own choice to work in the office 14%
Are you happy with the arrangement?
Full time – I’m happy with that 29%
Full time- not happy 2%
Hybrid arrangement – mandated – I’m happy with that 38%
Hybrid arrangement – mandated – I’m not happy with that 9%
Hybrid arrangement – voluntary – I’m happy with that 20%
Hybrid arrangement – voluntary – I’m not happy with that 1%
Do you think hybrid working is here to stay?
Yes 92%
No 1%
Unsure 7%
The overwhelming consensus of opinion was that hybrid working is here to stay within the paraplanning sphere.
While not without its challenges, for many paraplanners it has become the ideal way to balance productivity, collaboration, and personal wellbeing.
Paraplanners recognised that hybrid working doesn’t suit every role, but for financial planning teams it strikes an effective balance. Working from home provides space for focus, uninterrupted concentration, and flexibility to manage personal commitments. Office days, meanwhile, create opportunities for face-to-face collaboration, adviser interaction, and team discussions that don’t translate as easily over email or video calls.
The hybrid model has become especially valuable as cost of living pressures rise. Avoiding long, expensive commutes saves both money and time, allowing paraplanners to dedicate more energy to their work and family lives. For parents in particular, the flexibility of working from home is particularly important, enabling them to balance childcare responsibilities with professional commitments.
This increased flexibility translates into a healthier work-life balance, which respondents said had the benefits of happier and more productive employees. Feelings around WFH/hybid working saw several paraplanners point out that if individual firms demanded a return to full-time office work, it could drive people to seek alternative employment.
Another point raised was that hybrid working has highlighted the importance of workplace culture and trust. Firms that empower their paraplanners with flexibility and autonomy were considered to be benefitting from improved productivity.
That said, some paraplanners caution that hybrid isn’t flawless. Communication can suffer if not managed properly. The key, many argued, lies in offering choice, allowing employees to work in the way that best suits their role, personality, and circumstances.
Notably, for many paraplanners, hybrid working is no longer an experiment but an expectation. The pandemic opened the door to more flexible ways of working, and it’s unlikely to close again. As one paraplanner put it, “The genie is out of the bottle.”
Hybrid working offers firms a compromise between business needs and employee preferences, and it gives paraplanners the chance to thrive both professionally and personally. While some firms may push for more time in the office, the general consensus among paraplanners is clear: hybrid is not just a temporary trend, it’s now the norm.
Main image: kate-sade-c_NsMp-Z1Xk-unsplash-
