Has the pandemic changed our lives forever? Almost certainly. Some good will come of it and it seems that remote working practices are set to stay. New research by consultants, Hoxby has revealed that productivity, happiness and office culture are booming with the shape of the office set to change forever. Their findings show:
• Almost three quarters (71%) of senior man-agement are pleasantly surprised by team productivity during lockdown despite more than half (54%) being nervous about their teams remote working before the COVID-19 pandemic
• Over half (52%) even say their teams are MORE productive remote working than in an office
• Almost two-thirds (58%) of office workers say remote working provides them with more autonomy to do their job in a way that suits them
• A quarter of office workers (25%) believe they’ll remote work at least half the time after the pandemic is over
• 70% of business owners agree ‘remote work-ing is the future of my organisation’. In fact 34% of business owners are now considering moving to an entirely remote office
The research is welcome news, as lockdown measures look set to continue.
Effective working: Almost two-thirds of workers say remote working provides them with more autonomy to do their job in a way that suits them, Interestingly, only 19% say they prefer being in the office.
Happiness: 57% of those in a management position think remote working is GOOD for mental health. Two-thirds (65%) of office workers agree that though the current situation is challenging in other ways, they are enjoying the fact that remote work means they can spend more time with their family. A far smaller number seem unhappy as a result of remote working.
Office Culture: Over half (55%) of office managers say office culture is as strong as ever, with a similar proportion saying office chatter has continued just in a different form (57%).
The future is now . The shape of office life really will change forever after the pandemic is over. A quarter of office workers (25%) believe they’ll remote work at least half the time after the outbreak and 12% of the office workforce say they’ll be working ENTIRELY remotely after the outbreak, compared to just 4% before.
Before the pandemic, 45% of office workers surveyed were required to be in the office ‘at all times’. This is expected to fall to just 27%.
So just how might UK offices change shape? 70% of business owners agree that ‘remote working is the future of my organisation’, with this period of lockdown and remote working making them view the future structure of their business differently.
42% of business owners plan to reduce the amount of office space they need. 49% of management think they’ll encourage more remote working. And 34% of business owners are considering moving to an entirely remote office.
Remote working can still be fine-tuned. However some tweaks to remote working practices would be welcomed. 48% of office workers currently working remotely admit they’re relying on conference calls too much and would like to know more about other working practices.
Hoxby co-Founder Alex Hirst concludes: “As we’ve seen office workers catapulted to remote working in what is surely the biggest ever remote working experiment, it is fantastic to see productivity and positivity levels so high. We know office life has changed for good, and a post COVID world will see many remote working practices here to stay as whole organisations shift their businesses remotely. Our collective job as business leaders and remote workers alike is to ensure, as a community, we share what is working (and what isn’t), to fine tune remote ways of working for all. I’m excited for our working future.”