The last two years have changed the working landscape forever. The global lockdown has led to a new era of hybrid working that shows no sign of abating. Yet, due to the swiftness of action required, legacy offices are now no longer conducive to employees’ shifting needs for greater control, comfort, and privacy.
Something needs to be done to tempt workers back. Research showed that almost 90% of workers now spend at least some of their time in the office. However, the majority (58%) still prefer working from home. With people leaving their jobs in record numbers, halting the great resignation needs to be top of mind for businesses.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the number one factor that most influences an employee’s positive sentiment towards their employer is when they like working from the office. Satisfaction with the office leads workers to feel 32% more engaged, 29% more connected to culture, and 27% less likely to leave.
So, how can businesses make the office space more attractive?
One of the most appealing attributes of home for two-thirds (65%) of UK employees is that they have a dedicated space for work. This is the opposite of many offices, where the majority (59%) are forced to work in an open plan office. Such as set up provides minimal privacy and can be a turn off for staff. It is, therefore, important to give workers a more ‘homelike’ environment. In fact, having more privacy is so attractive to workers, that many are even willing to trade remote workdays for more privacy, comfort, and control within the office. When asked to choose, more workers said they’d prefer to have an assigned desk in the office and work fewer days from home.
For most workers, it is a question of balance though. Yes, they want privacy so that they can focus on their own work when needed and be able to take video calls without disrupting others. But they also want an office that will allow them to collaborate with colleagues when needed.
This provides a dilemma for businesses. Because weeks are not neatly divided into collaboration days and focus days, it is impractical to suggest workers stay home to focus on their work and come into the office for collaboration only. Highly effective collaboration requires an ebb and flow of working together and alone. To solve this, some have suggested the office should become a ‘clubhouse’ where workers are given free range to come and go as they please. However, just how practical this will be is open to debate.
One thing that is certain is that workers want a place that supports different types of work than in the past. The office needs to help them feel purpose and a sense of belonging.
To remain relevant, UK businesses need to earn the commute of staff. Yet, many are hamstrung by archaic office setups that are leading to almost six-in-ten workers preferring to work from home. We’ve learned from those who have returned that their needs have fundamentally shifted. The office of today needs to be made more in tune with these shifting expectations, to ensure staff remain more engaged, productive, connected to their organisation’s culture and are less likely to leave.
