The spreading global pandemic meant that almost overnight most companies introduced remote or hybrid working models. Aleksander Szybilski, head of Workplace Strategy at Cushman & Wakefield, discusses how businesses and employees coped with the change and what expectations and needs the new situation has shaped.
Is an office necessary for our company to function?
If so, how much space will we need? What value does physical space bring to the business, and what proportions of home and office work should we maintain? These types of questions are increasingly common in our conversations with clients. The answers are not obvious, because there is no single universal solution that works for everyone. It is essential that managers, facing the challenge of deciding on their office space, examine employee expectations and the hard data gathered in numerous studies.
Working from home equally effective
Working from home equally effective
No one suspected that the evolution of working styles would happen so suddenly and on a global scale, motivating change — to everyone's surprise — even in traditionally minded companies that had previously not allowed working from home.
One of the greatest fears of managers and leaders, linked to their reluctance to introduce greater mobility, was the quality of work performed by employees outside the office. However, after analysing a survey conducted by Cushman & Wakefield, it turned out that people working from home not only fulfil their duties but are also just as productive as when working from the office. Additionally, fewer social interactions were observed, which positively affected the quality of individual work and improved team efficiency, due to the goal-oriented nature of video conferences and a lower tendency to engage in small talk. The survey also showed that managers trust their employees — as many as 90% of those surveyed held this belief.
Another example is the Leesman study. It compared 22 organisations that analysed the level of experience from office and home work during the pandemic. The average during collective remote work (H-Lmi, home) was 72.6. Meanwhile, the results of a survey conducted in the same organisations before the pandemic were slightly worse, at 69.5 (Lmi, office). The results are, however, very similar and confirm that we can be equally (or even slightly more) effective in performing our duties from home.
The new meaning of the office for organisations
The new meaning of the office for organisations
Is an office essential for a company to function in the era of hybrid work?
The positive results regarding working from home led some businesses to consider abandoning the office entirely in favour of remote work. Before making such a decision, it is worth taking a closer look and considering what value having an office brings.
According to Leesman's findings, as many as 36% of employees have bad or very bad experiences with remote work. Negative employee perceptions may be influenced by factors described in the "Experience per SQF" report published by Cushman & Wakefield. The study shows that only 56% of respondents working from home are able to maintain relationships with co-workers. According to Gallup research, having friends at work makes it more satisfying, brings us joy, and enables us to devote more time to it. Such relationships can result in an increase in job satisfaction of over 50%, and engagement can increase more than sevenfold when we work at the same company as our best friend. The lack of shared space, limited opportunities for interaction and spontaneous joining of conversations, can have a negative impact on organisational culture. Only 50% of employees working from home feel connected to their company's culture. Under such conditions, retaining valuable employees and top talent becomes very difficult.
Who are the employees who cope best remotely?
The perception of remote work is also linked to the stage of life we are in — age, family situation, or financial circumstances. Young employees (Generation Z), just taking their first steps in the job market, cope the worst in the new reality. This is because they have not yet had time to build proper relationships within the company, they are still gaining experience, and often lack suitable working conditions. The older generation, i.e. Millennials, see challenges related to combining two roles — parent and employee. The lack of a clear boundary between private life and work can negatively affect family relationships and effectiveness. Generation X and Baby Boomers cope best with working from home.
An interesting observation from the Cushman & Wakefield study is the correlation between sector and overall satisfaction with working from home. Companies with clear processes and understandable KPIs fared much better — this was observable in the legal, financial and IT sectors. Industries based on interpersonal relationships and creativity — i.e. sales, marketing, HR, R&D — perceived working from home worse than working from the office.
Hybrid work — the golden mean in the new reality
Numerous studies on employee preferences lead us to one conclusion — the majority, after the pandemic ends, would like a mixed working model, i.e. hybrid work combining home and office work. The results of a study conducted by the international architectural firm Gensler perfectly illustrate the disparity between supporters of hybrid work and those declaring a preference for a single working style. Only 12% want to work entirely remotely, while 21% of respondents prefer working fully from the office. The largest group — 67% of those surveyed — want to work in a mixed mode, i.e. 1-4 days from home.
