Private spaces key to boosting office productivity

LONDON, 9 August 2022 – Employers need to offer workers an escape from noisy office spaces to allow them to concentrate on their work, according to new research by global real estate consultancy JLL.

The ‘Hybrid Work Decoded’ report reveals how workers are splitting their time between home and the office, surveying more than 5,000 people in 15 countries, offering an insight in to how best to design offices for optimum use.

It shows people are now spending more than half of the week (2.8 days) in the office but find most of their work – focussed work – is easier to do from home.

JLL believes modern offices need to offer flexibility and private space to allow focussed work and boost productivity.

The benchmarking report also finds:

• France is leading the return to the office in Europe with 3.5 WFO days compared to just 2.6 in the UK and 2.3 in Germany
• Tuesday is the most popular day to WFO with Friday the least
  
• Working hours in the office are only slightly higher than WFH
  
• The key drivers on returning to the office are social interaction, collaboration, and technology support while work-life balance and wellbeing are WFH strengths
  
• Half of all virtual collaboration during the week is happening in the office, and half of the office virtual collaboration is done at the desk
  
• More than a third of people use the office establish a proper life/work separation
  

Sue Asprey Price, EMEA CEO of Workplace Dynamics at JLL, said: “This is a fascinating insight into how office workers are making decisions about how best to work in the new hybrid environment. It is clear most people value the office for the social and collaborative elements of the job and are choosing to spend more than half of the week there.

“But we also know 55 per cent of our week is on ‘focussed work’ and we need to make sure people can do this effectively in the office. This means private working space away from the office chatter that allows people to concentrate.

“Perceptions of noise have changed after the pandemic when people got used to working from a quieter environment. Just 28 per cent now believe the office is the best place for focussed work.

“This presents a challenge for the industry to make sure new and redesigned offices offer a choice of spaces to support different activities. Both collaboration and focused work need to be accommodated. This means providing enough comfortable workstations with suitable acoustics which accommodate the need for privacy and reviewing inefficient desk and meeting room booking systems.

“Employers also need to consider the growing importance of wellbeing to all workers. Availability of healthy food, comfortable temperatures, air quality, pleasing views and access outdoor space are all measures which can improve the office experience.”