Flexible workplace design: superiors are still not enough of a role model
Just under a quarter of office workers in Switzerland already have to find a place to work first thing in the morning. And two-thirds already work away from home at least occasionally. The increasing flexibility in Swiss offices is a reaction to changing working environments, which are becoming ever more knowledge-intensive, creative and networked. However, the working environment, the technological tools and, above all, the corporate culture are still not sufficiently aligned.
The consulting firm Deloitte surveyed 1,000 office workers in Switzerland on how the much-discussed current changes in the world of work are actually reflected in everyday life today. The respondents spend at least half of their working time in front of a computer. Two-thirds of them are no longer permanently tied to their employer's office. 40 percent work at least one day a week at home or in another location, such as a coworking space.
Majority still with permanent job
Although agile and flexible working concepts such as home office or the flexible sharing of office workplaces (so-called hotdesking) are becoming socially acceptable in companies in Switzerland, the vast majority (77%) of Swiss employees are still permanently assigned to a workplace. By contrast, time allocation is much more flexible: 72 percent are largely free to organize their time in the office and only 9 percent say they have to adhere to rigid working hours. Only one-third of office employees work a fixed schedule at their employer's office every day. The majority can therefore work regularly without being tied to a specific location. However, there are large differences: 28 percent do this less than one day per week, 12 percent exactly one day per week and more than a quarter (27%) do not work in the employer's office for more than one day per week.
Workplace design adaptation often ignored
If employees work away from home more often and hotdesking is introduced in the office, the number of fixed workstations can be reduced. This creates space for special zones for concentrated work, exchange or rest. Carefully planned and implemented measures promote cross-divisional collaboration and employee satisfaction. "Many Swiss companies ignore necessary adjustments to workplace design and work models and lose money and employees as a result," Matthias Thalmann, Partner for Human Capital at Deloitte Switzerland, is convinced. "If they want to continue to have productive, creative and motivated employees in the future, they need to provide an innovative and inspiring work environment, regardless of where and how they work. To reconcile the high demands of young employees for more flexibility and the desire for security and orientation of the older workforce, intelligent and strategically supported concepts are needed."
Clear need to catch up with technology
There is great potential for improvement in the hardware provided by companies. Only just under half (47%) have received a laptop from their employer that enables mobile working. 11 percent have only a smartphone or tablet. A total of 42 percent of all employees surveyed are not provided with any digital device at all by their employer that allows them to work on the move and access company data. Just over half (53%) use chats or instant messaging, 39 percent use modern document management and 36 percent can conduct video conferences. Just under a third of companies, however, do not use any modern collaboration solutions at all.
New corporate culture and less regulation
An agile and modern workplace concept can only function properly and have a positive impact on employee performance and satisfaction if it is also communicated in a comprehensible manner and strategically supported. Many Swiss companies do not seem to have tackled this issue yet, as another Deloitte survey of HR managers already shows. The current study confirms this: Only 39 percent state that there are guidelines for flexible working in their company. However, there are clear differences depending on the size of the company: the proportion is 55 percent for companies with more than 250 employees, and only 24 percent for those with fewer than 50 employees.
Even more impressive: While flexible working hours are supported by more than half (56%) of the supervisors, only one-third of the respondents' supervisors are in favor of flexible work locations such as home offices or coworking spaces. Against the backdrop of an open and modern corporate culture, it is important that superiors not only support flexible working but also set an example and lead by example. However, a full 38 percent state that their superiors do not exemplify flexible working in any way.
Legislation lags behind reality
"The space design, workspace concept and technology can be as sophisticated as they are - ultimately, their impact can only be fully realized if the corporate culture is actively adapted and the attitudes of employees and managers change accordingly," says Luc Zobrist, economist at Deloitte Switzerland and co-author of the study. "Companies that only focus on cost reduction and ignore employee satisfaction will not successfully manage a sustainable workplace transformation."
The legal framework in Switzerland should also not be forgotten. In addition to flexible workplaces and forms of work, modern technology and a trusting corporate culture, there also needs to be a concession from the legislator: "Our labor law still stems from the industrial age and would have to be adapted accordingly for the digital age," explains Zobrist.
Source: Deloitte
