A funny thing happened on the way to the office… People didn’t come back as expected. During the pandemic (and yes, while we are all tired of hearing about it, there is no doubt that it accelerated a major shift in the workplace), millions of employees were sent home. Deemed “nonessential,” they were still essential to the running of their companies, and so they worked from home. Suddenly, remote working office space sprouted up in spare bedrooms, living room corners, dining room tables, and even nooks and walk-in closets. The predicted “mass migration” back to the office after widespread shutdowns, though, didn’t really occur, at least not on the scale expected. Today, we take a look at the future, but also at some current hybrid work statistics.
Companies have adapted. Before the pandemic, about 4% of all high-paying jobs were fully remote. By the end of 2020, that jumped to 9%. Today, it’s more than 15% – and growing, according to data from job search site Ladders. Ladders CEO Marc Cenedella, says, “Remote work is here to stay. This change in working arrangements is impossible to overhype. As big as it is, it’s even bigger than people think… the pandemic turned up the heat so we’re seeing a rapid flood of change in this space. It’s really rather amazing.”
Let’s look at some of the most interesting hybrid work statistics.
25 Hybrid Work Statistics
- In 2019, 60% of employees worked fully onsite; in 2022 and beyond, this has dropped to 23%.
- In 2022, just 9% of workers preferred a fully onsite job. In 2019, 32% of work locations were hybrid; in 2022 and beyond, it skyrocketed to 53%.
- And 59% of workers prefer a hybrid option.
- The top five reasons that people prefer hybrid workplaces are:
- Avoiding commute time
- Enhance their wellbeing
- Better balance family/personal life and other obligations
- The option to work with coworkers in person
- To feel more productive and connected to the company
- To alleviate childcare costs
- The top five reasons that people prefer hybrid workplaces are:
- 84% of companies say that employee health and wellbeing were “very important” in developing a workplace plan.
- 58% of companies reported productivity as “very important” in developing their plan.
- If given the option to work partially remote, 38% of workers say they’d like to work in the office about half the time and 29% said they’d prefer about two days per week.
- 8% said they wanted to work primarily in the office, while 8% said they wanted to work rarely in the office.
- 40% of employees say they want complete autonomy around choosing when they come into the office. 60% say they’d like more structure and a “coordinated effort” in creating schedules.
- 74% of US companies are using or plant to use a hybrid work model on a permanent basis.
- 63% of companies termed “high growth” use a “productivity anywhere” model.
- 29% of executives maintain that employees need to be in the office three days per week to nurture company culture; 21% said five days was necessary, and 18% said four days was the magic number. Only 5% said that employees did not need to be in the office at all to maintain culture.
- When employees can work remotely at least some of the time, companies see an average 12% reduction in turnover.
- 54% of employees say they would look for a new job if their current employer did not offer more flexibility.
- 83% of companies report that collaboration has been as good or better than it was pre-COVID.
- Most (87%) employees say that working in the office is important for collaboration and relationship-building.
- Nearly half (42.2%) of Gen Z workers want to work remotely one to two days per week, compared to 24.5% and 28.3% for Gen X and Baby Boomers respectively.
- 37.8% of Millennials prefer to work remotely three to four days per week, compared to 30.4% for Gen Z and 36.4% for Gen X and Boomers.
- 21.4% of Gen X and Boomers want to work remotely all of the time.
- Only 14.7% of Millennials and 7.4% of Gen Z want to work remotely all the time.
- 64.2% of Millennials say the office is important for collaboration, and 61.5% want it for internal meetings. Gen Z, on the other hand, wants office spaces for desk work and training/development. Gen X and Baby Boomers prefer using the office for client meetings.
- Online job searches for remote positions grew by 460% from 2019 to 2021.
- 68% of company leaders say they do not have a detailed plan for a hybrid workplace, even though the majority plan to implement one.
- 72% of companies say they will invest in tools for virtual collaboration. This includes IT infrastructure improvements (70%), training for managers on leading hybrid teams (64%), accessing conference rooms with enhanced connectivity (57%), and hoteling, communal spaces in offices, coworking spaces, etc.
What are these hybrid work statistics telling us? A few key takeaways:
- With a few outliers who prefer to work exclusively in-person or remote, most people want to be in the office at least some of the time.
- While the usage preferences for the office vary by demographic, there is a clear need for this space for collaboration, internal meetings, training/development, and client presentations.
- Most employees look to their employers for structure when it comes to developing a hybrid workplace – and many companies do not have a solid plan.
- Health, wellbeing, and cost savings are linchpins in the desire to move to a hybrid workplace.
The Next Step in the Work World Evolution: Remote Working Office Space
Remote working office space solves a number of challenges when it comes to developing and implementing viable hybrid models. It allows companies (even those that are fully virtual) to leverage professional office space on their terms. Coworking space, desks, private offices, conference rooms, and training rooms can be accessed as needed to facilitate the work of employees. It is as adaptable to internal meetings and client presentations as it is to independent work, training, and gatherings.
Office Evolution provides a variety of inclusive solutions designed to help companies and their teams get to work – seamlessly blending the benefits of remote work with those of in-person experiences. Learn how we can help take your business and/or career to the next level.