Decoding the modern workplace

In 2023, the word “workplace” may mean something different to every employee at your organisation.

By now, many employees have spent years working remotely, but the physical office has recently embarked on a redemption tour.

Despite their workplace differences, employees, whether in the office, at home, or hybrid, agree on one thing: They continue to experience productivity issues and lack a sense of professional and personal purpose when at the office. And this is leading to major hurdles.

Often, technology sits at the nexus of both the problem and the solution to key organisational challenges. The right technology investment can help employees in all locations feel more connected to their peers, informed about organisational happenings, and productive in terms of outputs and collaboration.

Yet, against the backdrop of increasing calls for a return to office (RTO), employees across working arrangements have expressed a clear need for improved communication and workplace management solutions.

Here’s how employee needs and experiences are evolving and how your business can keep up.

Communication is a top pain point: Across generations, employees ranked “consistent and simultaneous communications to all employees, whether they work from the office building, remote or hybrid,” as the most necessary office improvement.

Employees struggle to feel engaged: Employees’ No. 1 struggle while working remotely is “feeling connected and engaged with my work.”

Social connections matter: 85% of respondents consider whether their colleagues will be there when deciding when to work from the office.

Employers could do more to connect teams: Employees listed the top three tasks their organisations could improve most on, as:

1. sharing updates across the organisation,
2. connecting employees around shared personal interests and
3. helping employees work more collaboratively, regardless of location.

Workplace security could be better: Half of respondents (51%) have been unsure if someone they encountered at the office worked for their company or was authorised to be on site.

RTO remains a work in progress

For many organisations, work continues to occur outside a traditional office environment with Just 3% of employees are operating entirely in-person, compared to 44% of respondents working fully remotely.

How often are employees going to the office?

In the middle, hybrid work presents an attractive option for many employees (54%). Among current hybrid employees, the majority of respondents (58%) are going into the office 2-3 days a week. Three-quarters of hybrid respondents (78%) are going into the office at least once a week:

How well are hybrid and remote policies working?

Across the board, just 50% of employees shared that their company has been extremely effective at rolling out hybrid and remote work policies. A further, 93% of respondents who work from the office (whether in part or fully) feel their organisation could do more to improve the in-office experience.

Notably, providing consistent and simultaneous communications to all employees tops the list — outpacing even workplace flexibility concerns. Employees are also focused on tool consolidation and improvements. This point is particularly important to organisations because technology consolidation is a major driver of increased productivity and cost savings.

How can organisations improve in-office employee experiences?

1. Provide consistent and simultaneous communications to all employees, whether they work from the office building, remote or hybrid - 53%
2. Offer more flexibility on hybrid/remote options - 44%
3. Offer more training on workplace tools - 36%
4. Reduce the number of apps/tools necessary to do my work - 35%
5. Introduce more helpful digital signage around the building - 26%
6. Support room/desk reservations - 20%
7. Facilitate wayfinding around the building - 18% 
8. Provide contactless check-in - 17%
9. There’s nothing my organisation could do to improve my experience while at the office building - 7%

When employees work from the office, fundamental needs often demand the most attention. This includes areas like:

Efficiency: 70% of employees agree they waste time transitioning from working outside the office to working at the office. The simple act of hybrid work hinders day-to-day focus and productivity. [AM1] 

Security: Half (51%) of respondents have been unsure if someone they encountered while at the office worked for their company or was authorised to be on site- Many organisations lack fundamental solutions, like a visitor management system, leading to in-office security vulnerabilities and oversights.[AM2] 

Connectivity: 85% of respondents factor in whether their colleagues will also be at the office when deciding when to work from the office. However, companies have yet to make it easier or automated for employees to locate where their peers are working and make informed decisions about in-[AM3] 

Key Takeaways

What employees hope for when going to the office (both in terms of responsibilities and social connections) often fails to materialise once they’re actually in the office.

With the desire to stay at home already a factor, a subpar in-office experience is yet another reason to avoid the commute entirely. For organisations interested in boosting in-office attendance, focus must turn to improving in-office experiences while being mindful of upgrading experiences for all employees — regardless of location.

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People  I  Place  I  Performance

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