A majority of global employees say they feel more productive (84 per cent) and more connected to their teams (82 per cent) while working in hybrid or remote working environments than those working onsite, according to a new survey by Zoom Video Communications Inc.
The survey, which polled more than 600 C-suite leaders and nearly 1,900 employees, found the percentage of those who said they feel more productive in hybrid/remote working environments increases among younger employees aged 18 to 24 (93 per cent) and 25 to 34 (88 per cent).
Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of company leaders said their workplace has currently adopted a hybrid model, including scheduled hybrid (25 per cent), flex-time hybrid (22 per cent) and role-based hybrid (five per cent) models. Another 12 per cent said they’ve adopted remote working from anywhere and seven per cent adopted remote working from home (seven per cent).
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Indeed, half (50 per cent) of leaders reported that over the past two years, their workplace model has become more flexible for employees and 45 per cent said it’s become slightly more flexible. They noted their decision to change their workplace model was mostly driven by a desire for more productivity (84 per cent), to recruit talent more broadly (62 per cent), build workplace culture (47 per cent), reduce real estate/facilities costs (39 per cent), retain key talent (35 per cent) and to reduce head count (29 per cent).
Three-quarters (75 per cent) of leaders said it’s very or moderately likely that their organization will change its workplace model over the next two years, with most of these respondents noting their workplace model will become slightly or much more flexible for employees (41 per cent each). Just three per cent said it will be slightly or much less flexible.
Meanwhile, when employees were asked what workplace models they’d consider in a new employer, more than a third (36 per cent) expressed preference for work from anywhere, followed by flex-time hybrid (25 per cent). Just 14 per cent said they’d opt for an in-office model.
Notably, employees who work in person felt the least connected to their managers (72 per cent, compared to 79 per cent for remote workers and 82 per cent for hybrid workers) and the company as a whole (68 per cent, 75 per cent and 76 per cent, respectively).
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