Even employees believe they need to be in the office 3 days a week to maximize productivity. Key findings from a study by Gensler of 14,000 office workers from 9 countries are:
- 61% of workers say they need to spend more time in the office to maximize productivity.
- The ideal target for maximized productivity was 63% of the workweek at the office.
This comes direct from the employees.
Hybrid Is Here to Stay. So Is the Office.
By Janet Pogue McLaurin, Anita Grabowska
Office buildings in many cities are sitting empty, with some cities reporting the highest vacancies ever recorded. At the same time, Kastle is measuring average occupancy at just under 50% across 10 key U.S. cities. Does this paint a picture of doom and gloom for the office? In Gensler’s latest workplace research of 14,000 office workers across 10 industries in nine countries, we found an optimistic future emerging: while hybrid work is here to stay, the office is needed more than ever. And we found a few other surprises as well.
Gensler has been measuring how people work, space effectiveness, and what employees value in a workplace experience since 2005. With our data, we can see what is changing over time as well as identify global commonalities and unique differences by country, by industry, and by key performance indicators such as innovation, commitment, and engagement. As employees were returning to the office in late summer and fall of 2022, we researched how and where people were working, why people were going to the office, what’s working/not, and what’s missing. In the process, we uncovered some interesting shifts in how people are working and their expectations for the workplace moving forward. This is the first of a blog series delving into some of the key findings. Check out the published report here.
