A survey conducted by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has revealed an emerging, positive picture of how businesses will operate following the global pandemic.
The poll, designed by Ipsos MORI, of 573 businesses, sponsored by Accenture and Hays Recruitment, suggests workplaces and cultures have shifted drastically. Offices will survive, but not as they once were and fresh data from respondents, including firms of all sizes and sectors, indicates major shifts in attitudes towards home-working, recruitment and business travel.
Meanwhile, making progress towards net-zero, improving work/life balance and strengthening employee relationships are all strong indicators of firms’ intentions to build back better. Increasing innovation is also revealed to be one of the key positive aspects arising from the pandemic.
More than three quarters of respondents (79%) said in 2019 their staff were entirely or mostly working in an office or workplace away from home. Looking beyond 2021, businesses expect that figure to be just over one quarter (28%), with almost half (47%) expecting staff to split their time evenly between home and the workplace.
Working from home is seen to be positive in terms of attracting and retaining staff, with 53% of respondents reporting a positive impact (14% negative). But qualitative research suggests offices remain vital for collaborating and connecting with colleagues.
On average, respondents expect their office space to reduce by 18% compared with 2019. Respondents anticipate using significantly less space for desk-based activities and client meetings. Opinion was more evenly balanced regarding other office uses, such as collaboration with colleagues, training and teambuilding.
However, the survey shows remote working is not without its challenges with the data revealing the ability to lead, manage and train staff has been diminished. Specifically, the ability of junior staff to learn from listening and observing senior colleagues is more challenging.
CBI Deputy Director-General, Josh Hardie said: “Despite the huge challenge of operating through the pandemic, this survey shows firms are committed to listening to employees and customers, innovating at speed to build back better. The rewards for those who get this right will be substantial, with clear benefits for both companies and individuals.
“Remote working has brought huge benefits. It has not led to a collapse in productivity. Often lost travel time has disappeared, together with the stress and carbon emissions of the morning commute. Many local communities have been rediscovered.
“Yet while Covid-19 may have triggered a mass migration from UK workplaces, talk of the death of the office is premature. They continue to offer real benefits, particularly for welcoming new staff, training and collaboration. So a new, flexible balance must be found – the office will survive, but not as we know it.”
Remote working is seen to enable a greater geographical spread of the workforce. Around two-thirds (63%) responding expect more applications from people who live more than 1-2 hours from head office compared to 2019 and 25% expect more applications from people who live outside the UK.
Respondents also believe recent months have hastened innovation among UK firms, with rapid adoption of new tech proving vital to both support operations and capitalise on a surge in online activity – a trend expected to endure.
Seven in ten of firms responding (71%) think it is likely that ‘consumers who switched to shopping online during the lockdown will keep doing so once the pandemic has passed’. Elsewhere, nearly six in ten (59%) respondent businesses think it is likely that people will shop close to where they live rather than further afield.
Overwhelmingly, the data strongly suggests companies want to grasp the opportunity presented by the crisis to reassess their positive impact upon society. Chiefly, firms are keen to capitalise on improving employees’ work-life balance, reducing carbon emissions and accelerating innovation.
Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI, Ben Page said: “In a few short months the pandemic has dramatically changed business life in the UK. What our latest research shows is that while parts of the economy face massive disruption, elsewhere there are likely permanent positive changes. These include less commuting, more distributed work forces, a better carbon footprint, a re-imagining of offices, and potentially better quality of life for employees.”
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