How employee workplace expectations do not meet reality

Employees need the workplace for better productivity if needed, however, the current office may not be meeting expectations.

This is the hypothesis of Gensler, a global architecture, design, and planning firm, and their Research Institute which sought to look into the relationship of the workplace and employees as well as the way they work. Findings show that across nine countries, 61% of employees opine that they need the office to feel most productive in their work, but they lack optimal spaces for a variety of work modes throughout the day.

The report’s findings align with data that say just 38% of the offices these employees work in have been redesigned since the beginning of the pandemic, indicating that employers must enhance their workplaces to accommodate the different modes their workforces require to get them back to the office. The research showed that on average, employees only spend 50% of their typical work week working at their company’s office, despite employees saying they need to come into the office 63% of a typical work week to maximise their productivity. The workplace consistently underperforms for critical work activities such as working alone and working with others virtually. On average, 57% of meetings in the office are hybrid meetings.

Looking through the report, Gensler reported that across different global respondents, those who work in offices that are effective and offer great experiences report that their workplace has a positive impact on a range of factors, with 94% of employees in high-performing workplaces report having a positive impact on their individual productivity, compared to just 45% of those in low-performing workplaces. 92% of employees in high-performing workplaces say that working from the office positively impacts their speed of decision-making in comparison to 43% of those in low-performing workplaces.

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“The gap between current office utilisation and employee need for the office is an opportunity to rethink the workplace,” said Janet Pogue McLaurin, Global Director Workplace Research, Principal, Gensler. “Providing a balanced array of work settings and amenities can not only empower employees to work better but create a better work experience.”