4 out of 5 employees want hybrid working

For the study "The Future of Work: Productive anywhere" by consulting firm Accenture, more than 9,000 employees were surveyed in eleven countries. 83 percent of global respondents consider hybrid working, where they have the option to work remotely between 25 and 75 percent of the time, to be optimal. 40 percent of respondents feel they can work productively and feel healthy anywhere - remote, on-site or a combination as a hybrid work model. And 85 percent of these employees say they are looking for longer-term employment at their current company.

Home office as the new normal

"Until the COVID19 pandemic, working outside the office was difficult to imagine for the majority of companies. There was a lot of concern from supervisors that their team members would be unfocused and less efficient in the home office," said Miriam Dachsel, managing director at Accenture Switzerland. But now, she said, some companies are already announcing that home office work should become part of the new "normal," regardless of the pandemic and its associated restrictions. "There is no universal answer to the question of whether employees are more productive working in the office or from home. This depends on the organizational and individual conditions of the employees, which also change over time," explains Miriam Dachsel.

Hybrid working becomes a challenge

Finding a hybrid work model that works for all generations can be a challenge: Globally, three out of four Gen Z respondents (74 percent) want more opportunities to work face-to-face with colleagues - a higher proportion than Gen X (66 percent) and Baby Boomers (68 percent).

"A flexible working model is therefore advantageous. This should enable employees to reconcile concentrated and efficient working hours with their living conditions. For employers, the move to flexibility requires some courage and trust in their employees. In the medium to long term, however, this courage and trust will pay off in higher productivity and greater employee retention," adds Dachsler.

Recommended measures

Accenture recommends companies that want to create the conditions for location-independent productive working consider the following specific measures:

• Accelerate modern HR management: HR policies and practices need to evolve. A strategy is needed to ensure that employees can transition easily to new jobs, teams and roles.
• Seeing the human being in employees: Organizations must recognize and respond to the diverse needs of all types of employees, fostering trust.
• Building digital literacy: Digitally competent companies have higher revenue growth and are more likely to be considered attractive places to work.
• Leading with humanity: Accountable leaders create environments where the board, the CEO and the entire C-suite work together - no matter where they are.

Source: Accenture

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