January 2023 Workplace Trends

The enclosed statistics and information are assimilated from multiple sources which are listed in the footer. The multipoint data collection captures that the workforce and employers are striking a balance where a hybrid approach is “the new norm,” ensconced with employer incentives and creative reinventions to preserve culture and lure people into a warm and more home-like atmosphere.

Learn more about workplace trends, and if you’re looking to redesign your office to meet the changing needs of the modern office, consider partnering with Applied Ergonomics.

STATISTICS:

Envoy surveyed 800 CEO’s: 79% of corporations have adopted a hybrid working model with an “at will” hybrid policy.
Only 15% of workplace leaders stated that they have returned to a 100% in-office requirement for their employees.
Only 3% are still completely remote and 5% have not decided on a return-to-office policy at all. The vast majority of companies (79%) have opted to go hybrid.
63% of employees say flexibility would make them feel more empowered. However, having that flexibility and power to choose which days to come in, especially in the popular at-will hybrid model, means that workplace leaders need to make the workplace a place that people want to be.
McKinsey: 87% of Americans want to work in a flexible environment that allows for work in an office setting as well as virtually.
Some visible organizations adopting a complete return to the office in 2023: Morgan Stanley, Goldman, and Elon Musk companies. Financial companies have strict compliance requirements that are easier to monitor with employees in-house. Musk and others believe that employees are more productive and accountable in the office.
ResumeBuilder.com surveyed 1,000 business leaders to find out if their company has implemented a return to office plan or if they intend to in 2023. Key findings:
66% of employers currently require employees to work from the office.
90% of companies will require employees to return to office in 2023
21% of companies will fire workers who do not return to the office.
88% of companies are offering incentives to get employees to return, including catered meals, commuter benefits, and higher pay.

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WORKPLACE LEADERS SURVEYED, “WHERE HAS YOUR COMPANY INVESTED IN THE WORKPLACE?”

Tools that enable video conferencing, remote collaboration, and space bookings are the most popular technologies that companies are investing in. Incentives like on-site events and programs, such as hosting happy hours and providing food and beverages on-site, make the top five list as well.
- 58% are investing more in the org
- Visitor management
- Physical Securities
- Food & Beverage
- Space Management – new hot desk bookings are trending 3x.
- On-site Events

ONE-LINERS FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES:

With this upcoming change from companies that currently still allow full-time remote work, in 2023, 9 in 10 companies overall will require employees to come to the office with some frequency.
For companies that are currently hybrid, 77% say their policy will change. A percentage (13%) will shift to having employees be back full-time in the office, 40% will require employees to come in 4 days a week, and 31% 3 days a week.
80% of the workforce returns to the office: the trend is to create more workspaces as well as shared communal social areas that offer a choice for how and where they want to work within the office.
Offices in 2023 will be built out to accommodate a range of spaces in which employees can work privately and quietly or with colleagues in a louder, more social environment, an office property professionals survey says. Office designs in the upcoming year will pay more attention to factors such as noise volume and spatial sequencing, such as avoiding the setting up of collaboration stations right next to quiet desk spaces.

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HYBRID WORK CAN WORK IN MANY WAYS, HERE ARE THE MOST POPULAR HYBRID POLICIES:

Hybrid at-will: Of those who have adopted hybrid work, 56% have a hybrid at-will policy, meaning that employees can choose which day(s) they come into the office. The benefit of an at-will policy is primarily flexibility for employees.
Hybrid split-week: 11% have a split-week policy where the company assigns specific days of the week for on-site and remote work by team or function. The main benefit of a split-week policy is that the organization is better able to plan and know exactly how many folks will be on-site on any given day. This helps prevent overcrowding on more popular days of the week.
Hybrid manager-scheduling: 8% opted for a manager-scheduling policy, where managers choose which day(s) their team comes into the office. The primary benefit of a manager-scheduling policy is team collaboration and productivity. When a manager gets to select which day(s) their folks are on-site they can host team meetings, brainstorms, working sessions, and other ways for their teams to be productive face-to-face.
Hybrid mix: The remaining 25% allow for some mix of all three options, meaning that the company, the managers, and the employees have agency in choosing which days folks work on-site. This mixes the benefits of flexibility, choice, and planning for each party.

While some companies have requirements to get their folks on-site, 88% of companies have taken to using incentives to get their employees excited to go back to the office. The largest organizations are hosting concerts, beer and wine tastings, swag, and group fitness classes—others are trying more accessible methods. Here are the five most popular incentives that workplace leaders are using to get employees back to the office:

Food and beverage programs: 56% of workplace professionals are stacking their offices full of snacks, lunches, beverages, and treats to lure their employees on-site.
Social events: 42% are hosting social events like happy hours and movie nights.
Company events: 41% have chosen to host company events like an all-hands meeting or in-person trainings
Furniture and amenities: 40% are touting their office amenities like standing desks, quiet working pods, and other things that folks might not have access to at home.
Office environment: 39% have revamped their office environment by playing music, creating social spaces, and having games in the office.
The return to the office will include many critical activities, such as enhanced cleaning practices, employee health screening, social distance monitoring, and contact tracing.

OPINIONS AND COMMENTS FROM CEOs

”The original values of the open plan office design included chance meetings, managers being able to give quick input to subordinates based on overhearing conversations, and people learning from each other easily. Open plan has its own issues due to distractions, but remote work loses these benefits altogether.”
Larry Gadea, CEO of workplace technology company Envoy, warns that “people need to be together with each other, they need to know each other.”
“They need to have a sense of purpose that’s unified, and you need to bring people together for that,” he said. “How are you going to bring people together when they’re all around the country? I think that there is a substantial amount of people thinking they’re going to be saving money on real estate, but United and other airlines and Hilton and other hotels are getting it instead.”
“You can’t mentor people that you don’t know except through a video call.”
“It is hard to reinforce corporate culture and values with a primarily dispersed workforce.”
“You’re going to see a lot more open spaces, collaboration spaces, conference rooms, meeting rooms, break areas where people can sit and get together,” he said. “It’s going be focused on connection which I think frankly is positive and it is evolution – it’s going to be about making those connections more meaningful.”
Trends: Investing more in things like a gym, where employees could take a physical break, or other spaces that would provide a place to take an emotional break or meditate

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SOURCES

CNBC 6/4/22, Envoy.com, Forbes, McKinsey, Slack, Gartner, Resume Builder, and Gallup