A mix of in-office and remote working is likely to be the main style of office working to maximise employee and organisational performance once the pandemic is over, according to the latest report from Cushman & Wakefield.
Office owners, occupiers and placemakers were surveyed for the ‘New Perspective: From Pandemic to Performance’ report on remote work, flexibility, office layouts, office usage, business outcomes and location strategy.
According to its findings, employees want choice and freedom in where they work and can no longer be expected to come into the office just to answer emails or other tasks that can be done remotely, but few want to work outside the office exclusively. The downsides to the working from home induced by the pandemic include office workers feeling disconnected from the corporate culture, while personal well-being has suffered and employees feel that they have had fewer opportunities to learn, especially through informal mentoring. The lack of in-office work also has a disproportionately negative impact on certain workers, such as young employees and new recruits.
Our research clearly demonstrates that the future of the workplace strategy will be defined by a hybrid work model, and very few organisations will implement 100 pct remote working. Furthermore, organisations implementing a fully remote work model could look for top talent further afield, but the challenges of employee management and retention will require additional resources, with no guarantee of success. And as for hybrid work, it fits in with the trend of flexibility targeted by both organisations and employees.
Jan Szulborski, a senior consultant in the consulting and research department at Cushman & Wakefield in Poland
