A global survey has found 72% of employers have mandated a return to the workplace.
A global survey has found 72% of employers have mandated a return to the workplace.
Unispace’s ’Returning for Good: Unispace Global Workplace Insights‘ surveyed ‘6,650 employers from 17 countries. It shows among the firms that enforced returns, 42% reported higher-than-expected employee attrition rates, while 29% faced difficulties in recruiting new talent.
Despite a slight decrease in employee reluctance compared to 2021 when 51% of respondents indicated a reluctance to return, there is still a significant challenge in engaging the workforce.
The study also highlighted employers' confidence in talent attraction activities carried out in the office as opposed to remote work. Employers expressed higher levels of confidence in recruitment (89% versus 73%) and training new staff (84% versus 70%) conducted in the physical workplace.
Interestingly, a substantial majority of employers (84%) believed that exclusive work-from-home arrangements would limit career prospects. This sentiment suggests that the physical workplace is seen as essential for fostering professional growth.
While 83% of employers believed that the office environment facilitated productivity, 58% of workers reported struggling to perform their core tasks due to distractions. Employees expressed a preference for personal space, privacy (31%), and the ability to be more effective in a quiet environment away from the office (27%). Employers, on the other hand, cited the commute as the primary barrier to employees returning.
Steve Quick, CEO of Unispace Global, says this emphasizes the importance of understanding employee needs and values to redefine the purpose of the office. He highlighted how such understanding could drive cultural strength, brand development, employee loyalty, well-being, and talent retention. "Employee work habits continue to evolve as we all adapt in today's rapidly changing work environment. Employers who take the time to understand what their employees need and value most from their office will be more successful in redefining the power and purpose of that workspace. This will drive strength of culture, brand, employee loyalty and wellbeing, and talent retention," he said.
