Inflation, increased workloads, mental health and the need for flexibility and control are key influencers for US employees deciding between hybrid and in-office futures
NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Adaptavist, the leader in digital transformation technology and services, today revealed the findings of its Reinventing WorkReport, which provides insight on the state of work in our ever-changing, post-pandemic world. The research, gathered from close to 3,500 US, UK, Australian and Canadian respondents, shows how workers are shaping the new workplace by sharing their views on issues including hybrid vs. in-office work life, productivity, collaboration and isolation, communication tools, health and well-being, and the future of work.
For the more than 1,200 US employees surveyed, these issues, coupled with inflation and cost of living increases, have created a new 'cost of working' crisis that affects not only where they work, but how. While some reports have highlighted the cost of working from home, according to Adaptavist's Reinventing Work Report, 42% of US employees now worry about the additional costs of working in an office if they return full-time, above other issues like office politics or distractions. The trepidation is understandable as food and gasoline prices remain high across the US. In addition to wanting more vacation days and flexible work hours, over one-quarter of workers noted that free food and beverages would be an enticing perk to help get them into the office more frequently.
"The transformation of work over the last few years has been long lasting, but will also continue to evolve," said John Turley, Head of Organizational Transformation at Adaptavist. "Just as employees have grown accustomed to questioning the level of flexibility and freedom their organization provides, they're now understandably considering the costs associated with heading back to the office, working from home or some combination of the two. Whether these costs are mental, emotional, or financial, employees and employers will need to find a new equilibrium between business as usual and the way people want to work now—one that supports wellbeing as well as creating value for customers."
While the price of returning to the office has become a concern, the US is seeing a shift in hybrid vs. in-office work options, with 59% of workers saying they are back in the office full time (or never left) and just 25% saying they have a hybrid set up. Even fewer respondents—less than 17%— say they are fully remote. The rationales behind these shifts are often contradictory and complex. While some employees have been asked to return to the office by management (58% no longer have the option to work remotely), many are choosing to go back due to loneliness and isolation. The vast majority of survey respondents (89%) said in-person connection with colleagues is important or critical. Yet, many employees (38%) also believe they are at peak productivity when mixing home and office work, and a further 35% say they are too overwhelmed with work to talk to their colleagues anyway—which could be a nod to the 'quiet quitting' movement.
Worries of a Recession-Driven Work Reset
While employees have been in the driver's seat for the past year, calling the shots with regard to remote work, an employment 'reset' has begun, with many employers demanding a return to in-office. Whether fueled by the looming recession or a need for control, nearly half of US workers (45%) said the reset would likely eliminate essential workplace freedoms. Some of these freedoms enjoyed in hybrid or remote work setups have enabled at least a quarter of US workers to accept an additional job or take on extra paid work. Losing this supplementary income with a full-time return to work would likely be difficult as nearly 70% of employees taking on second jobs report earning more than $6,000 annually through their side hustle.
Reimagining the Future of Employment
The last two-plus years cemented for US employees that the workplace has changed forever, and it has opened the door for them to consider additional, progressive ways to improve their work futures. While the majority of employees (56%) admit they are now working about the same hours as they were working pre-pandemic, over 55% said it's time to eliminate the 40-hour workweek. Most (47%) believe the best flexible work option would be a four-day workweek, with one-third of respondents (33%) saying their employer has already given them that option. Further interest in redefining work can be seen in how employees feel about the state of productivity measures today. Most (56%) of workers believe it's time for companies to measure employee productivity based on the quality and output of work rather than the number of hours worked (21%).
Tools Still Lacking, Especially for Asynchronous Workers
Another contradiction can be found when it comes to communication and productivity tools. American workers frequently experience tool fatigue, even though they don't always identify it as such. More interestingly, asynchronous workers experienced tool fatigue at rates twice as high as non-asynchronous workers. Just under half of employees (49%) said they lose time during the day due to task switching and 40% note their organization has too many tools that perform the same function. Email (30%) remains the communication method employees use the most at work, followed by in-person talking (14%) and phone calls (12%). Only 11% of workers use collaboration tools such as Slack as their primary communication method. However, those asynchronously working within larger companies (250+ employees) were more likely to use these tools. These employees said that Microsoft Teams (66%) and Zoom (59%) are essential tools for work collaboration.
For more information on the Adaptavist 2022 Reinventing Work Report, including downloadable highlights, please visit HERE.
About Adaptavist
Adaptavist is a global technology and innovative solutions provider, helping organizations boost agility and overcome the challenges of digital transformation. Founded in 2005, its team spans over 600 employees globally, with a 18,000+ customer base representing more than half of the Fortune 500.
Adaptavist supports customers with applications, consultancy, agile implementation, app integration, training, managed services, and licensing solutions – through strong partnerships with Atlassian (a Platinum Atlassian Solutions Partner and a Platinum Marketplace Partner) as well as partnerships with Slack, monday.com, AWS, GitLab, Aha!, Temporall and more. The company has been awarded the Queen's Awards for Enterprise and Deloitte's Technology Fast 50.
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Media Contact
Sharen Santoski, Adaptavist, 1 6177556357, [email protected]
SOURCE Adaptavist
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