More employees seek modernised offices for better work collaboration

While employees are positive about returning to work in the office full-time, current work environments are ill-equipped to foster collaboration and creativity.

This is one of the key findings from Cisco, which surveyed 14,050 employees and 3,800 employers in 19 countries, to understand the reality of the in-office experience compared to employee expectations around the globe, and how employers are investing in AI as a transformative tool for workplace collaboration and productivity.

What they found was that while 72% of the respondents were feeling positive about returning to the office, only 47% believe their work environments are equipped for a new era of hybrid work. Thus, more employers (81%) across the world have already or plan to redesign workspaces in the next 24 months, and the redesign plans are not just physical.

The survey also showed that organisations understand the value of AI in increasing productivity, with more employers making a strong commitment to integrating AI into the workplace. 73% of the employers who responded to the survey are seeking to invest in AI-powered collaboration software, with 68% planning to enhance their workspaces with AI technologies by 2025.

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At the same time, 80% of employers plan to invest in AI for workspaces and collaboration by the end of 2025. It is a sign that many organisations understand to accelerate AI adoption within the workplace to enhance productivity and create a future-ready office environment.

Lastly, the survey underscored the need to close the AI skills gap. While 43% of employees may have access to AI technologies, less than half of these employees feel less than proficient in using them, with one out of four employees ill-prepared to use AI.