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Hand selected flexible workspace news from the most reliable sources to keep you ahead of the pack. We find all the latest news, so you don’t have to. Morning and afternoon updates. Stay in the know.
Here’s what you need to know today:
- Hybrid Working Is The Future Of The Workforce
- The Hub And Spoke Model Is Not For Everyone
- Accommodating Various Work Styles In The COVID Era
Hybrid Working Is The Future Of The Workforce
According to JLL’s recent Reimagining the Future of Work report, hybrid work arrangements will be one of the defining features of the workplace after the pandemic.
The survey of over 2,00 office workers across 10 countries found that the amount of remote working days is expected to double post-pandemic, from 1.2 days each week to 2.4 days.
This forecast is based on the 72% of respondents who expressed their desire to continue working from home, as well as the 26% who want a permanent shift to remote working positions.
However, companies will need to be flexible in order to accommodate the needs of all workers. In fact, the report revealed that 57% of workers want a wider selection of workspace options while in the office itself.
“Work-from-home won’t be the panacea for satisfying all work styles—24 percent of employees want to work exclusively in the office and 75 percent want some level of access to the office,” said Flore Pradère, research director with JLL. “This desire for a hybrid workplace exemplifies the shifting work styles that have emerged due to the pandemic, and employers must adjust their standards to meet these new preferences.”
Knowing this, organizations must have better insight into what employees need when they do come into the physical workplace and what purpose the office will serve from now on.
For instance, nearly half of respondents said that having access to both green space or outdoor areas are essential to collaborating with colleagues.
The Hub And Spoke Model Is Not For Everyone
The current state of the world has left many to proclaim that a headquarters is no longer a necessity for the workplace.
This may lead some firms to cut down on their real estate footprint and adopt smaller offices in suburban areas closer to employees’ homes, also known as the “hub-and-spoke” model. Christopher Rhie, an associate principal at global architecture firm Buro Happold, said that in places like Silicon Valley, adopting this arrangement is easier since much of the workforce in this area does not need to physically be in the main office.
However, he argues that this model can only work for certain sectors of the workforce.
“Goldman Sachs built a giant tower just across the water [from New York City] in Jersey City, and nobody wanted to go there,” said Rhie. “That was how strongly the global financial sector workforce wanted to be on Wall Street. So even moving just across the Hudson River was too much of a leap. So that’s why it’s going to be highly dependent on the industry.”
Rhie added that his architecture firm canceled its WeWork membership after realizing it did not require the extra office space right now. Instead, the company has adopted technologies that make it easier to connect to its main office.
Accommodating Various Work Styles In The COVID Era
This year has proven that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to work arrangements, particularly when living through a pandemic.
One thing is for certain: some form of remote working is here to stay. In fact, MobileIron’s recent survey of 1,200 workers also found that over 80% respondents never want to return to the office full-time again.
So how can company leaders accommodate what the workforce needs during these transformative times? MobileIron has categorized different personas that are emerging from the pandemic, and what these types of workers seek out of their workplace.
First, there are mixed remote-office workers who find themselves working both at home and in the office throughout the week. They are well-versed in mobile devices, but see less in-person communication which can hinder productivity.
The one-the-go mobile employee works remotely the majority of the time, using various devices both personal and corporate-owned. Since this person also travels often, they typically struggle with unreliable connectivity and could be at higher risk for cybersecurity issues.
There are also the office workers who work in the office full-time, but could have the ability to work from home if they wanted to.
Lastly, there are front-line workers such as medical professionals, grocery store clerks and similar positions who have little to no ability to work remotely.
With each category being vastly different in what they do, mobile security is usually the least of their worries. However, data breaches and phishing attacks have become increasingly more common, which is why companies across all industries need to make an effort to protect their employees from security threats.
