What would companies do if a quarter of their workers refused to return to the office tomorrow—or if most of their employees said they won’t go to the office every day?
Newly released studies paint a sobering picture for corporate executives about how and where their own employees may prefer to work.
The latest research supports the results of earlier polling about remote working preferences. It underscores the disconnect many employers have with workers on an issue that, as the Covid delta variant continues to surge, takes on increased importance and significance.
A new survey conducted by HealthEquity of 1,000 employed Americans found that:
- 26% of respondents had no current plans to return to onsite work.
- 77% did not want to return to working onsite full time.
- 93% said the No. 1 reason they don’t want to return to an office is because of the time and costs associated with a commute. Those who prefer to be remote full-time said they are more productive and mentally healthier in a remote environment.
HealthEquity conducted the nationwide survey in June 2021 in partnership with independent research firm 8 Acre Perspective.
The recently released “Return To Work Study” by Medallia found that:
- 96% of U.S. employees surveyed preferred to work on a hybrid basis.
- Almost half (49%) said that if their preferred working setup (e.g. remote vs. at workplace) was not be available, they were somewhat or very likely to seek employment at a company that offered that arrangement.
- Only two of five in-person workers said they’ve seen workplace policies change because of the delta variant.
Andrew Custage, head of analytics at Medallia, said, “Perhaps the clearest insight from [our] report is the importance of location flexibility in the minds of employees. Employers have a lot to think about regarding what levers they’re willing to pull for attracting and retaining talent, and should consider what levers are seen as acceptable as part of planning to return to the office."
Global Return-To-Work Slowdown
Workplace platform Robin announced today that it saw an increase in the number of people who worked from the office once but did not return for the rest of the calendar month. The so-called “bounce rate” increased to 19% for all global employees, up by 27% over Q1.
Brian Muse, Robin’s chief technology officer, said, “A combination of summer vacations and delta variant precautions caused the number of times the average employee comes in a full day, from 5.5 in April to 4.5 in August. Very few countries increased the number of employees working from the office in July and August.”
He noted that, “The percentage of people coming in 3-4 times a week dropped from 16% in April to under 10% in August.”
Careful Planning Is Tough To Do
Dynamic Situation
Maurice "Mo" Cayer is on the graduate programs faculty in the psychology and management departments at the University of New Haven. He said, “Even though the situation is very dynamic [and] making careful planning of talent and workplaces [is] tough to do, employers all over the country are having strategy-discussion-table sessions about what talent policy choices they should make.
“Some are trying to be proactive and consider the key factors and stay agile, while others seem to be very reactive and short-sighted in their talent and workplace policy choices,” he observed.
Take The Pulse
Cayer recommended that “employers take the pulse of their current and target workforce, and have a regularly occurring structured planning process.” He said they should also consider “research evidence that working from home tends to lead to better productivity of workers, while working on-site can lead enhanced innovation and contribute to a culture of collaboration. Deliberately consider the trade-offs [that are] needed.”
Advice For Business Leaders
Avoid Surprises
Don’t be surprised about how or where your employees prefer to work. Ask them now.
Assess Overhead
Based on what you know are or project will be the working preferences of employees, assess the current and future overhead expenses and budget accordingly.
The newly released KPMG 2021 CEO Outlook found that only 21% of CEOs plan to or have already downsized their physical footprint or office space as a result of the pandemic and changing working habits. “This is a steep decline from the survey results conducted in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 crisis, where seven out of ten (69 percent) said that they were planning to downsize their physical footprint,” KPMG said.
Update Policies and Plans
- Ensure employee-related polices are up-to-date and reflect the realities of the delta variant and today’s workplace.
- Review and modify crisis management plans to reflect the impact that the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis has had and will continue to have on all aspects of your organization.
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September 20, 2021 at 08:06PM
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26% Of Surveyed Employees Don’t Plan To Work Onsite Again; Most Still Prefer Hybrid Arrangements - Forbes
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