Ever since the pandemic and the surge in remote work, organisations have been working on altering the workplace design. Now, with hybrid work becoming more popular, the primary reason for organisations to transform workplaces is to cater to new technological advancements, with 59 per cent of the organisations, worldwide, doing so. The second driver is adapting to changing employee expectations, with 55 per cent firms attempting to cater to the expectations of employees and their reasons to come to office. About 53 per cent are going for redesigning to enable hybrid work.
Not surprisingly, technology and collaboration spaces are the office aspects that are given the maximum focus. The likelihood of a budget being set aside for this is rather high, while redesigning. This certainly aligns with employee expectations as technology and collaboration spaces are also rated as most important by employees. Only about a quarter of employees feel their present office space(s) have adequate tech and collaboration spaces. Therefore, organizations seem to be focusing on these areas, with 67 per cent regularly enhancing their workplace layouts and 61 per cent budgeting for regular improvement of technology features in relation to workplace design.
How prepared are employers to cater to the expectations of their employees?
When it comes to remote workers, in-office staff and those working in between environments (such as while commuting) just about 52 per cent of employers surveyed feel they are ensuring a well-managed experience. About 43 per cent admit that issues with working from home pose the greatest challenge. Internet connectivity appears to be the biggest tech challenge for both employers and employees when it comes to working remotely. The second biggest challenge is difficulty collaborating with remote team members, followed by inadequate equipment or tools.
Only 66 per cent of employers in India believe they are providing a well-managed hybrid working experience for employees. In Australia, 44 per cent of organizations share this feeling, while in the Phillippines, 66 per cent feel so. In South Korea, only 28 per cent organisations feel they are offering well-managed hybrid working experience for employees, while in Thailan, 56 per cent organisations feel so.
About 63 per cent of employees feel their current collaboration tools are ineffective in enhancing their productivity at home, or just moderately effective. About 45 per cent employers admit to this. A good 73 per cent of the Baby Boomers and 72 per cent of Gen X feel their current collaboration tools lack effectiveness when it comes to improving their productivity outside of the physical office.
The positive thing is that eight out of 10 employers feel their organisation has either completed an office redesign or is planning the same, or is already in the midst of it. About 47 per cent of employers, globally, are planning to redesign their office space within the next one year, with 34 per cent intending to complete redesigning over the next 24 months.