OFFICES FAIL TO INSPIRE BEST WORK, STAFF SAY
Workspace design, layout, and technology have not kept pace with employees’ changing expectations in Hong Kong, Cisco survey finds
Almost three quarters of Hong Kong professionals believe their office workplaces are not adequate for their needs, though most are happy to have made at least a partial return to working in person, according to a study by US technology company Cisco.
Across Hong Kong, 72 per cent of employees surveyed said their office was not properly fit for the purpose of enabling them to do their best work. Workspace design, layout, and technology had not kept pace with changing employee expectations, the study by the California-based company found.
Some 7,550 full-time employees and 1,650 employers were surveyed in November across seven Asia-Pacific markets – Australia, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and South Korea.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions eased, some 61 per cent of companies in Hong Kong had mandated a full or partial return to the office, the survey found, with productivity, team communication, and leadership pressure being the key drivers.
Collaboration, brainstorming, and fostering a sense of belonging were the main motives for employees to return to the office.
Yet, office layouts and seating arrangements were identified as the major reasons employees felt their workplace was not conducive to collaboration and brainstorming.
While there was a growing emphasis on collaboration, 88 per cent of the employers surveyed still said they allocated at least half of their office spaces to individual workstations.
Contrary to popular belief, more than two-thirds of employees in Hong Kong responded positively to their organisation’s mandate to return to the office, and 97 per cent expressed a desire to return to the office at least a few times per week.
“Employees across the region have embraced hybrid work and are willing to return to the office more often, but with a caveat [that] workspaces must adapt to their evolving needs and expectations,” said Sandeep Mehra, managing director of collaboration sales at Cisco APJC.
It was critical companies adopted smart technology to deliver on employees’ expectations, promoted productivity, and built a collaborative environment, no matter what employees’ locations were, Mehra added.
The majority of employees feel individual workstations, large and small meeting rooms were ineffective in boosting productivity in the office, or did so moderately at best.
Technology infrastructure and integration was also an area of concern. Employers found the reasons meeting rooms were considered insufficient were poor quality of the audio-visual experience and inconsistency in the experience of remote and in-office participants.
On average, only 40 per cent of meeting rooms across organisations were equipped with video and audio capabilities, the survey found.
However, the results suggested employers were trying to make a change for the better. Some 80 per cent have made changes following the pandemic to the workplace and 78 per cent plan to do so in the next two years.
“Employers’ progress in deploying collaborative technologies for hybrid work is commendable, but simply providing the tools isn’t enough,” Mehra said.
“[Companies] need to focus on integrating these tools into the workplace to facilitate a smooth transition to this new work-normal and ensure these technologies are accessible and user-friendly for all.”