Furniture company Steelcase’s research of over 32,000 employees offered major insight into what shifts organizations need to undergo to improve the employees experience.
The analysis found that the top concerns of 73% of U.S. workers was air quality and following safety protocols.
With the threat of COVID-19 continuing to ravage across the country, buildings need to augment their space to decrease density, install air filtration systems and create a physical division to limit potential spread.
Additionally, productivity and variety of workspace continues to be a priority for employees. For 12% of respondents, productivity fell when working from home.
This is largely due to the fact that remote working makes it more difficult to connect and collaborate with colleagues, so creating an office space that supports both collaborative and individual work will be crucial.
The survey found that the top two reasons workers want to come back to the office is to connect with their peers and feel a sense of purpose.
This coincides with the desire to be surrounded by an inclusive work community. Having a supportive community not only feels good, but it can have a direct positive impact on business outcomes, engagement levels and innovation.
While the office is still here to stay, fixed architecture and furnishings should not be the theme of the workspace. Instead, organizations need to adopt flexible work policies to allow employees have a say in how, when and where they work.
