Optimal Workplace Experience Hinges On Better Support for Hybrid Working, New Research Finds

By HRTech Specialist On May 13, 2022

Employee frustrations intensify as organizations fail to address communication, productivity and engagement issues

Appspace, the first unified workplace experience platform,released its 2022 Workplace Trends & Insights report: Building a Hybrid Future That Works for Everyone. The report examines the state of the digital workplace and provides insights businesses need to empower employees. Several findings from the report indicate an urgent need for organizations to offer improved employee support for in-person, remote, and hybrid work arrangements. In fact, employee expectations continue to outpace organizational standards, and in many areas, frustrations have intensified over the past year.
Workplace Flexibility is Key
Nearly two-thirds (63%) of employees indicated they are much more willing to work with a company offering flexibility in terms of working location, compared to 55% of employees in 2021, according to the report. While workstyle preference is important for success in recruitment and hiring effort, supporting existing staff is critical given the high number of hybrid and remote working employees.

Three Out of Every Four Employees Work in a Hybrid or Remote Role
The report indicates that 73% of employees now work in either a hybrid or fully remote setting, with nearly half (43%) working remotely full-time. Furthermore, about one-third of workers hope to stay fully remote long term, up 11 points from last year.

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Inconsistent Tools & Tech Lead to Communications Challenges
While many companies have made significant investments in workplace technology solutions, findings from the report suggest implementation and rollouts are either incomplete or not being leveraged to their full potential:

A top challenge cited by employees is that not everyone in the company is using the same tools and technologies.
Only 42% of employees are completely satisfied with their employer’s tools and technologies.
65% of employees indicated their top reason for dissatisfaction with their company’s intranet is that it is buggy or unreliable.

This inconsistency of tools and technologies has affected communication across the organization.

Communication is the top pain point for employees working remotely.
A third of employees (32%) use unapproved communication and collaboration tools.

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Productivity “Leakage” Still Pervasive
Employees are far from working at their peak productivity due to an abundance of distractions. 85% report they’d be able to successfully complete their jobs with fewer virtual meetings or calls, the same number as in 2021. 54% of employees find frequent notifications decrease productivity. Finally, 55% of employees have been unable to locate digital documents while working remotely. Interestingly, Gen Z and Gen X reported even greater difficulties finding digital documents in today’s workplaces at 88% and 61% respectively.Clearly, when organizations haven’t centralized key tools related to communication, collaboration and knowledge sharing, issues follow.

The Physical Office is Still Critical to Overall Workplace Experience
Survey results also revealed only 28% of companies have active investments in return-to-work solutions, or have added the ability to help with room or desk reservations. Even fewer have added the power to manage contactless check-in processes. Organizations must adapt to the high level of flexibility employees are now accustomed to so there’s equal urgency to provide better and more informed physical work environments.“The best workplace experience is achieved when organizations provide the flexibility and support for all workstyle preferences,” explains Mike Hicks, CMO, Appspace. “Now is the time to unify the experience across the physical and digital workplace and standardize on the right mix of workplace communications and workplace management solutions that provide employees with a seamless and productive experience, wherever they work.”

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