NEW YORK, July 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ten Spot, the workforce engagement platform that keeps your employees connected, today announced the results of its national employee survey, The New Hybrid Workplace and the Future of Work. The findings provide insight into workers’ perspectives about the benefits and fears associated with hybrid work, progressive changes workplaces could adopt to increase productivity, and how they have adjusted to remote and hybrid since a previous Ten Spot survey conducted in October 2020.
The New Hybrid Workforce - Do the Benefits Outweigh the Concerns?
The COVID-19 pandemic drastically accelerated the adoption of the hybrid workforce, as 89% of workers are open to remote or hybrid work. Today 48% of people want to continue working from home full time - an increase of 8%. 30% want to continue to work remotely a couple of days a week, and only 11% of workers say they never want to work remotely again.
However, embracing the hybrid workplace doesn’t come without some concerns from today’s employees. 47% of respondents are concerned that they might be passed over for promotions, pay increases, or new opportunities if they continue working from home full time. And, of those who want to continue to work from home full time, 53% have this concern.
“This is one of the most concerning findings from this survey,” said Sammy Courtright, co-founder, and chief brand officer, Ten Spot. We're finally in a place where more people not only feel more comfortable integrating remote work into their lives but are also more productive working from home. Addressing and remedying this fear of being overlooked for promotions and career opportunities because they work from home full time should be a top priority for every organization with remote workers."
Overall, many have adjusted to working from home and are now experiencing more benefits than they were in October 2020. For example, 50% say they have more time to exercise (a 19% increase from before) and 51% say they feel less stressed (a 22% increase). Women, in particular, are experiencing the benefits, with 48% saying they have more time to exercise (a 27% increase) and 56% saying they feel less stressed out (a 30% increase) before. Not having to commute remains the #1 benefit at 52%, but is a drop from the previous 60%.
Keeping Employees Connected in the Hybrid Workforce
With all the benefits of working from home, even a couple of days a week, the #1 thing workers still miss about being in an office is in-person co-worker interaction, which has not changed since October 2020.
Not surprisingly, workers said video conferencing (71%) was the #1 technology/service their company used to make remote work a success, followed by a tie between communication tools like Slack (50%) and virtual events and training (50%). Workforce productivity and engagement platforms came in third with 33%.
“Technology has played a critical role in making the forced experiment of remote work a success and will be foundational in making the hybrid workplace a success for companies and their employees,” says Courtright. “Ten Spot’s workforce engagement platform is well-suited to play a key role in any organization’s hybrid workplace strategy, as we are focused on helping teams and co-workers establish and maintain the meaningful connections between one another that they need to stay productive and engaged in their jobs, no matter where they are working from.”
The Future of Work and Productivity - is a Four Day Workweek The Key?
Achieving high employee productivity and engagement levels has always been a priority for employers, and they may have hit paydirt without even trying. Nearly half (47%) of workers say they feel more productive and engaged when working from home, and 26% say they feel just as productive working from home as they do when working from the office. Ultimately, only 27% of workers said they feel their most productive when they work from the office.
Additionally, when asked about productivity at work and two trending, progressive ideas regarding the future of work - companies adopting one day of the week that is meeting free, and companies adopting a 4-day workweek, 69% said they think one meeting-free day a week would increase their productivity, and 67% said the 4-day workweek would.
But, when it comes to the new ideas they’d like to see their companies adopt in the future, things look slightly different and may be quite easy for workplaces to accommodate. While adopting the 4-day workweek (55%) was the #1 choice of respondents (they got to select three things), the ability to set flexible hours for their workday/workweek came in second with 44%, followed by Summer Fridays with the company shutting down at 3 p.m. (42%), the flexibility to work anywhere in the world, even if the company doesn’t have an office there (39%), and one or two days a week that are meeting free (37%) rounding out the top 5.
Gen Z, Resisting the Hybrid Workforce Baby Boomer Style?
What do Gen Z - the newest generation entering the workforce - and Baby Boomers - the generation soon to leave the workforce, have in common? A lot more than one would imagine considering Gen Z has been raised on technology.
Gen Z workers are the least likely to want to work remotely full time, as only 30% want to do this. It’s a stark contrast to the more than half of Millennials (51%) and Gen X (52%) who want to work remotely full time, as well as the 42% of Baby Boomers. However 48% of Gen Z - more than any other generation - moved to a new location during the pandemic because they could work remotely.
Both Gen Z (40%) and Baby Boomers (40%) are the least likely to say they are more productive working from home. While Gen Z (34%) is the most likely to say they are more productive and engaged when working at the office, 66% are still managing to work productively from home. Additionally, both generations aren’t as keen on the new workplace trends being discussed. Gen Z is the least likely to think one meeting-free day a week (61%) and 4-day work weeks (52%) would make them more productive at work, closely followed by Baby Boomers at 62% and 58%, respectively.
Survey Methodology
Ten Spot conducted its “The New Hybrid Workplace and the Future of Work Survey” with 2,000 people who have been working from home since the pandemic began, between July 12 and July 13, 2021. The margin of error is +/- 2.08%.
About Ten Spot
Ten Spot is the workforce engagement platform that keeps your employees connected to each other - wherever they are. Its innovative software combines live and on-demand content with sophisticated tools that help companies measure employee engagement and sentiment. Ten Spot helps employees bond, chat, and connect with each other.
Companies that use Ten Spot have a dedicated space for socializing, sparking relationships, enhancing teamwork, and building and maintaining a strong company culture, helping improve productivity and reduce employee burnout. Ten Spot is designed to give every employee the same experience, no matter where they’re based, to more easily build team cohesion across multiple locations, time zones, and work styles. For more information visit www.tenspot.com