Video conferencing solutions company Owl Labs has revealed the findings of its fifth annual State of Remote Work report in partnership with Global Workplace Analytics.
The survey of over 2,000 full-time U.S. employees explored why business leaders are being increasingly concerned about burnout and retention as we enter the new era of hybrid working.
“Adapting to remote work has been the predominant theme for nearly two years, but the theme of 2022 will be adapting to a hybrid workplace and defining what that means for teams,” said Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs.
According to the report, 71% of employees want a hybrid or remote work model post-pandemic. Even at the present, 73% of employees have returned to the office at least one day a week.
However, employee preferences are split in thirds, with 34% preferring full-time remote work, 29% preferring full-time in-person work, and 27% preferring to come into the office between one and four days each week.
Additionally, although hybrid working is generally favored by employees, there are challenges that were expressed by respondents.
Some of the biggest roadblocks included certain aspects of virtual meetings. For instance, 72% said that they struggle with not being able to tell who is speaking, while 66% feel less engaged during these meetings.
“Make no mistake, hybrid working will introduce new challenges,” said Kate Lister, President of Global Workforce Analytics. “We’ve grown accustomed to all being equal squares on a screen but when some people are in the room and some are not, we will need to be very intentional about making sure everyone’s voice is heard.”
