Insight from Tim Porter, Head of Product Innovation, Dialpad
Nearly three years after businesses shifted to operating remotely, hybrid work has become the new normal. Employees and employers broadly agree that hybrid workplace strategies add flexibility and a new sense of autonomy in the workplace. This prompted WeWork and Dialpad to collaborate on a state-of-play report that reveals what employees and leaders are expecting for the future of hybrid working.
The survey of nearly 3,000 US hybrid workers revealed that trust between employees and leaders is strong, with 87% of employees feeling trusted by their employers while working from home. However, employees are finding it harder to sign off at the end of the day, with more than half (54%) of hybrid workers feeling like they need to be online all the time, which turns out to be their biggest pain point in their digital workspaces.
C-suite employees struggle the most to sign off, with 68% of respondents having difficulty switching from work to home mode, but this group bears the most responsibility due to their positions within their companies. That being said, this group of employees end up working late regardless of where they work, due to high demands on their time. With this difficulty in striking the right balance of life and work, 72% of C-suite employees are beginning to feel more isolated compared to others when working from home.
The majority (85%) of workers that were surveyed find virtual bonding exercises highly necessary when working remotely. These virtual bonding exercises and general video conferences are one of the important tools that companies use for communication within the workplace with employees, whether they are in the office or at home. These virtual get togethers are significantly important for maintaining employees’ mental health, with more than half, 56%, of hybrid workers saying asynchronous communication is beneficial for their mental health.
While businesses are still trying to find that perfect balance for hybrid work, short-term solutions during the pandemic have turned into long-term ones that are defining what the future of the workplace looks like. As businesses continue to embrace hybrid work and invest in the workspace solutions they need, employees will undoubtedly benefit from the balance that a successful hybrid work strategy brings about. Organisations that have the tools, technology, and space to create a great hybrid work environment for their employees will be poised for success, no matter where their teams are located.
Dialpad and WeWork have been partners for many years. While WeWork provides inspiring physical locations for work, Dialpad is the AI-powered customer intelligence platform that unlocks productivity, collaboration, and customer satisfaction, paving the way for companies that provide hybrid working experiences.
