Employees in South-East Asia want to spend more time in the office

Employees in Singapore and the Philippines believe that they can achieve their highest levels of productivity when working in the office.

While currently on a hybrid work arrangement, many employees consider spending three to four days in the office as being essential for both individual and team productivity, according to a survey of 2,000 employees by the Gensler Research Institute.

Currently, employees in Singapore spend 44% of the work week in the office but believe they should spend 64% of their time in the office to be productive. Likewise, employees in the Philippines currently spend 51% of the work week in the office but indicate a need for 68%.

Nayan Parekh, Principal and Global Workplace Leader of Gensler, said, “Our survey findings underscore the enduring significance of the office as a vital hub for focused work. As employees express the need for increased office presence to maximise productivity, organisations must prioritise the creation of effective and engaging workspaces that cater to critical activities.”

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To fully optimise the workplace to facilitate critical work activities, employees also called on their employers to create higher-performing workplaces that can support faster decision-making and improve work-life balance and job satisfaction.

These include designing workspaces that offer employees autonomy in deciding when and how they work, while providing a range of settings to support diverse work activities, Gensler added.