New Study Finds Employees Split on In Person vs Remote Work Preferences, Revealing Benefits of a Flexible or Hybrid Workplace

• More Than 75% of Employees Want To Meet For An In-Person Event At Least Once Every Three Months
• Amongst High-Performing Employees, The Desire For More Frequent In-Person Events Increased, With 84% Stating That They Wanted To Meet On At Least A Quarterly Basis
• Executives Struggle With Employee Retention and Maintaining Company Culture, With Around 75% Citing Both Issues as a Moderate or Extreme Pain Point
• Approximately an Equal Percentage of Employees Prefer a Traditional Office to a Home Office, Highlighting the Difficulty Facing Employers for the Future of Workplace Management

Convene, the company at the forefront of creating dynamic work experiences with a network of 23+ premium meeting, event, and office locations and digital meeting technology, is announcing  the results from a national survey commissioned on workplace trends and employee sentiment. The responses touch on a number of issues relevant to companies returning to the office, including: how much time an average employee wants to spend with colleagues in-person at work in the future, what pain points employers are facing, and the role of the “hybrid” workplace and Millennial/Gen-Z preferences for a flexible schedule.

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Convene’s survey reached nearly 1,000 full-time employees across various roles, industries, and U.S. geographies, in order to take a closer look at concerns, interests, and trends being observed in today’s workplace as well as sentiments on hybrid workplaces and hybrid meetings and events. This is especially relevant as companies like Apple and Microsoft are continuing to adopt hybrid models, and with another 77% of business leaders intending to use a hybrid model during the next year.

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Here are some telling findings that speak to larger sentiments around workplace behavior among employees at all employment levels, age demographics and more, including:

• At the executive leadership level, findings showed that retaining talent and maintaining company culture are the top two pain points being experienced by this demographic. 76% of executive employees identify retaining talent as an extreme or moderate pain point and 74% of them identify maintaining company culture as an extreme or moderate pain point. Other leading pain points are keeping staff engaged and productive and attracting new talent.
• Employee preferences are varied — there is no one size fits all. Convene’s survey found that teams were split on where they preferred to work, and what they prioritized as important in their workplace. While a third of the respondents enjoyed working from the office and access to their co-workers, another third preferred the privacy of working from home, and the remaining preferred a flex-office or third-party location that was most convenient.
• While there is no consensus on a preferred mode of work, 92% want some sort of in-person programming with coworkers. More than 75% of employees want to meet for an in-person event at least once every three months. Only 8% of employees would want a completely remote future with no in person events. Amongst high-performing employees, the desire for more frequent in-person events increased, with 84% stating that they wanted them on at least a quarterly basis.

“It’s clear that the future of work is flexible, as employees recognize the benefits of both in person and remote work,” said CEO & co-founder of Convene Ryan Simonetti.  “We will continue to offer flexible, hospitality-driven tools and environments necessary for companies seeking to attract and retain top-performing talent and succeed in today’s changing business landscape.”

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