WORK FROM HOME ERA MAY BE SOON BEHIND US
As per The Office Pass (TOP) survey findings, 67% of employees want to work from the office (34% want to work from the office but only 2-3 times a week; whereas 33% want to work from the office regularly). 18% want to work from an office close to their place of residence (i.e. neighborhood coworking). The remaining 15% prefer working from home. Within the employees, the propensity to work from the office is the highest among senior management (77%) followed by middle management (66%) and finally junior-level employees (65%). Coworking is the most preferred working place for employees in human resources (88%), sales & marketing (70%), admin (69%), and procurement & logistics (67%) functions. Founder / Employer views on work preferences from that of employees. 54% of founders want their employees to come to the office regularly. Another 26% are open to their employees working out of a coworking space if that helps in bringing them back to work. 20% of founders are open to letting their employees work from the office in a hybrid manner (2-3 days a week). Surprisingly, none of the founders want to give permanent work from home to their employees. This suggests that the era of working from home may be soon behind us. This is especially true in the context of a funding winter for Indian startups, with lesser opportunities in both STEM and non-STEM roles. Founders / Employers who are planning to hire more than 50 employees in the coming year are keener to bring their employees back to formal work. Founders hiring 25-50 employees prefer a coworking office (67%) over a formal office, whereas employers hiring less than 25 people were split down the middle between coworking (44%) and traditional offices (44%), as long as their employees were comfortable. Some employers (12%) with small teams are even open to permanent work from home. This demonstrates that as organisations grow, they start to place more focus on productivity and business momentum. “Networking opportunities” with their colleagues was highlighted as the main driver for going to a formal office, whereas “a strong community to overcome loneliness and isolation” was highlighted as the main reason for opting for a coworking space. Put together, both these insights may point towards some employee burnout on the back of 24 harsh months of lockdowns and permanent WFH, with employees now eager to network and be a part of a larger community. The ‘Workplace Sentiment Survey’ is an annual initiative commenced by The Office Pass (TOP) in 2021. Last year’s findings revealed key insights into work trends triggered by the pandemic. Recognizing the positive impact on the economy, on society, and on general health, many businesses had implemented a hybrid work model or allowed partial work from home after the COVID-19 era. However, the current survey’s findings reflect a shift in preferences to the pre-pandemic working patterns. Nikhil Madan, Co-founder of The Office Pass (TOP) said, “The challenges faced by the workforce and individuals during the pandemic era, now seems to be largely behind us. The 2023 survey demonstrates that employees prefer the fast-paced environment of an office over the cosy atmosphere of working from home. In this situation, both coworking centres and traditional offices are feasible options for transitioning out of the pandemic-induced lifestyle we have all experienced.”
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