Survey: Employers are asking employees to return to the office

2022 was the year that the employers were asking more of their employees to return to the office at a time when they were demanding more flexibility and this is something that will have to be resolved in the new year.

Hybrid arrangementsunder which employees will go to their office only some days of the week and telework the rest, have won wide acceptance and have prevailed as a compromise solution.

But many workers resist even though some companies require daily office work.

In New York, for example, government data show that subway use increased in wealthier and business districts, especially during the summer, suggesting that more office workers are commuting to work.

Nevertheless, Tthe rate of office work had reached only 67% in October of pre-pandemic levels.

In recent months, subway use on weekends has approached pre-pandemic levels compared to weekdays.

Separate statistics for London show Tube use has reached just over 80% of pre-pandemic levels.

The growing workplace is also affecting the office real estate business. Globally, the office property space is moving towards shorter leases and flexible business premises, according to a September report by JPMorgan Chase.

In cities such as London and New York, companies are laying off and relocating: demand for new properties has increased, while older buildings are likely to sit unclaimed.

In New York, although new businesses that have opened in the last year outnumber those that closed during the pandemic, their geographical distribution has changedsays Kathryn Wilde, executive director of the Partnership for New York City.

Manhattan, where most of the office space is located, lost business while boroughs such as Queens and Brooklyn, where many people live, increased the number of businesses housed there.

Much is at stake in how the workplace will evolve. These developments could determine whether some workers who left their jobs during the pandemic — such as unpaid primary care workers, older workers and long-term COVID sufferers — return to work.

This in turn could have implications for staff shortages affecting many economies and sectors.

For employers, the model they choose will determine how attractive it is to employees, especially younger generations who demand more flexibility and better work-life balance.

While companies could save on real estate options, hybrid work comes with other costs–from concerns about lost productivity to collaboration, coaching and organizational culture.

In regulated sectors such as finance, working remotely is critical.

The nature of the workplace may even increase the disparities brought to the surface by the pandemic: racial and ethnic minorities were overrepresented in frontline issues where remote work was not possible. Not much has changed for this category of workers.

Office workers work hard. A Microsoft report in September said that the number of meetings per week increased by 153% worldwide for the average user of the Microsoft Teams application (team rooms where stakeholders can participate) since the beginning of the pandemic and 42% of workers multitasked during these online meetings.

However, 85% of company leaders surveyed responded that they do not believe employees are productive in such a hydric work environment.

2023 may be decisive for who will ultimately define the future shape of work.

The booming economy and staff shortages have given workers more say. A possible recession may change this situation.

“It won’t be so easy to leave your job. This will likely mean that workers will be more receptive to requiring employers to work in the office at least three times a week, and that’s where things seem to be going,” says Wilde.

RES-EMP

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