Companies still struggling to embrace hybrid working, research shows

Over the last two years, we've looked into the way organizations work, and how they’ve coped, or struggled, with the move to remote and hybrid working. Today, as businesses adapt to more permanent flexible ways of working, our latest report – 2022 Workplace trends & insights: Building a hybrid future that works for everyone – points to where the opportunities lie to excel.  

Our independent research report surveyed 800 employees at organizations with over 1,000 employees in the U.S., across job levels and departments – including 150 IT managers – in February 2022.  

The insights uncovered lift the lid on how employees really feel and where businesses can make positive changes that work for everyone, whether that’s remote, hybrid, or in the office. 

Our report shows that employee expectations continue to outpace organizational standards, and in many areas, frustrations have intensified over the last year.  

When our 2021 Digital workplace trends & insights report was published, we were in the thick of the pandemic. Companies and employees had to adjust to major changes in the workplace. Many pulled together to implement remote working, and to keep our frontline and in-office workers safe.  

Since then, we’ve faced a huge shift in the way people want to work. The Great Resignation has signalled that many employees are focusing more on their quality of life. Our report backed this up. We found that many who left the office during the pandemic don’t want to go back. However, too many companies struggle to keep remote and in-office staffers happy, feeling secure, and engaged.  

Key findings: 

• Communication is the top pain point for employees working remotely. 
• 32% of employees hope to stay working fully remotely. 
• A huge 56% of employees have been unable to locate digital documents while working remotely – this has only declined 4% from last year.  
• More employees said that a sense of camaraderie with their coworkers was lacking when working remotely this year (47%). Up from 41% in 2021. 
• Just 28% of companies with active investments in return-to-work solutions, have added the ability to help with room or desk reservations. Even fewer have added the power to manage contactless check-in processes. 
• The number of workers using shadow IT has dropped, but only by 8%, to a still worrying 32%.  

Businesses could do much better.  

While many companies have made significant investments in workplace technology solutions, findings from this year indicate implementation and rollouts are either incomplete or not being leveraged to their full potential.

Fit for 2022 and beyond 

It’s clear from the research that businesses still have some catching up to do when it comes to meeting employee needs and desires. And if they don’t, there’s a very real risk of exacerbating problems like employee burnout, increased staff turnover, and a reduction in productivity.

Make sure your technology is enabling staff to get work done without distractions, without anxieties about safety, and supporting a positive work culture. 

• Do you have the right technology and tools in place to meet the needs of remote, hybrid, and in-office workers?  
• Do employees feel safe and supported when they come into the office, with good communication, easy to access space reservation systems and employee check-in? 
• Is your intranet up to the task of enabling teams to collaborate from wherever they are? 
• Is your organization helping employees to feel connected and engaged – building culture at work – across all teams and locations?  

  “When positioned correctly, technology plays a meaningful role in supporting workers and meeting their needs within 2022’s ongoing work-type evolution. Can your technology do that?”