The largest study of working from home during a pandemic shows that the work system based solely on functioning in the office will transform into an ecosystem combining work in the office, at home and other locations.
The international consulting company Cushman & Wakefield has recently analyzed the responses from over 40,000 people who took part in the largest study of home work experiences during the pandemic. The study provided information on how employees are doing in this work system and how the new normality will look when the offices are reopened.
The results of the study show that work efficiency during a pandemic remains high, and collaboration between teams has risen to a higher level through the more efficient use of remote technologies. Three-quarters of respondents indicate the effectiveness of cooperation with colleagues in current conditions – an increase of 10 percent compared to the period before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"It is important to realize that the workplace will no longer be just a single location, but an ecosystem of different locations and experiences, providing comfort and functionality, and enabling the health of employees," Brett White, Cushman & Wakefield's CEO said.
Nevertheless, the companies will not reduce the area of currently occupied offices. As a result of the introduction of a flexible work model, fewer people will be in the office at the same time, but the saved space will have to be used to maintain social distance.
Remote work is likely to stay with us for longer, but the results of the study also show that people-to-people contacts and social ties suffer from this, which negatively affects corporate culture and learning processes. Just over half of the respondents do not feel disconnected from their colleagues when working from home.
“The office will have a new goal in the future - to be an inspiring place that will strengthen the work culture, facilitate the learning process, encourage relationships between colleagues and clients and encourage creativity and innovation,” Despina Katsikakis, director of Workplace Business Performance at Cushman & Wakefield, said.
(WBJ)