The most important thing employers can do to succeed in today’s market is to align organizational demands with employee demands, while still ensuring that employees are empowered to define the ways they prefer to work.
But, how?
There are many things that employers can do to support hybrid workers and place value into the workplace — and they all begin with focusing on the people. Below, we discuss HqO’s industry research that can help employers understand the needs of the modern workforce.
Top Office Priorities
When asked about which initiatives are most important to employers for retaining office space, 92% stated that maximizing productivity is very important or important. This was followed by 90% stating that improving employee satisfaction is very important or important, and 88% stating that encouraging collaboration is very important or important.
This data resonates with employers investing in the physical office to improve the overall workplace experience: 36% of employers note that increasing productivity is the most important benefit of having a workplace experience strategy. Thus — between improving productivity, employee satisfaction, and collaboration — employers are most focused on enabling the workforce to do their best work.
We also polled employers on the key value drivers required to attract and retain talent in today’s market. 82% reported that company benefits such as private healthcare, dental plans, pensions, and commuter benefits are either very significant or significant to employees. Similarly, 78% reported that offering a dedicated employee wellness program is very significant or significant.
On the physical space and policy side of the workplace, 76% of employers believe that workspaces that accommodate a variety of activities, such as collaboration, are very significant or significant, and 76% of employers believe that flexible working models that give employees the ability to choose how, when, and where they work are very significant or significant. Today’s employees care most about their general well-being, as well as flexibility and work-life balance in the office.
Technology’s Role
Current employee expectations may be of little surprise to those watching the industry evolve over the past few years, but can tell employers a few important things about the workforce. First and foremost, employee safety, hygiene, and well-being has been top of mind since the beginning of the pandemic — making initiatives that address these needs table stakes in the modern office.
Though communicating health and safety to employees is critical to address first, it also leaves ample room for employers who have already begun to prioritize these factors to focus on enhancing workplace flexibility, collaboration, and experience initiatives. In fact, 68% of employers believe that investing in dedicated employee and workplace experience tools is very significant or significant to attract and retain talent.
A well-designed end-to-end workplace experience solution will accommodate and accomplish each of the above value drivers in the modern office. As technology evolves, we expect this percentage to grow significantly over time.
Want to discover even more office insights? Download the full report here.
