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A hot potato: A new survey has confirmed what most people already believe: contrary to what managers and executives say, the overwhelming majority of workers feel more productive in hybrid/remote environments than when stuck in the office or on-site full-time. The results also challenge the theory that being away from the office lessens connections with co-workers and bosses.
Video-conferencing giant Zoom conducted a survey alongside Reworked INSIGHTS focusing on employee work models. The bottom line result is that 83% of employees feel more productive while working remotely or in hybrid environments.
One could argue that feeling more productive and being more productive are two different things. A study last summer claimed to show that productivity declined 18% amongst those working from home. Another study in 2021 determined that remote/hybrid work results in less communication and collaboration between teams, which could impact productivity and innovation – though it's worth noting that Microsoft was behind that particular study.
Many managers and execs like to claim that one of the reasons working from home impacts productivity is the loss of connectivity between workers and their teams and bosses. However, 82% of participants in the Zoom survey said they felt very or moderately connected to their manager, whereas only 72% of in-person respondents felt the same. This suggests that the old narrative of requiring face-to-face interactions to form bonds with people isn't necessarily true.
Company leaders say their working setups have become less rigid since the pandemic, with 50% saying employees' work schedules have become much more flexible, while 45% say it's become slightly more flexible. Given all the stories we hear about firms dragging workers back into the office, it's somewhat surprising to learn that 82% of leaders plan to make their working styles more flexible in the next two years.
Hybrid work models are the most preferred among leaders, with 64% saying their workplace has implemented this style. While workers certainly prefer hybrid to being in the office full time, we've seen plenty of outcry when formerly fully remote employees are forced back to the office several days a week. Amazon and Dell are just a couple of examples.
The survey illustrates just how strongly people feel about returning to the office full-time. Tech company Nothing recently told employees to get back into its London HQ 5 days a week or find somewhere else to work, a policy also found at Elon Musk's companies.
Elsewhere in the survey, 94% of leaders say they use AI in their organizations, and 84% say that integrating AI has positively impacted productivity. Moreover, 64% of employees strongly or slightly agreed that "generative AI makes it easier to do my job," while three-quarters said their organization's technology and remote work tools need improvement.