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The workplace of the future puts employees first

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As businesses return to the office, distinguishing between buzzwords and long-term trends means prioritising workforce experience

 

 

Hybrid working. The new normal. Zoom fatigue. WFH. Among many changes, the pandemic has popularised a slew of new jargon, as professionals worldwide adjusted to drastic shifts in their work environments virtually overnight. But as businesses develop their return-to-office strategies, it can be difficult to distinguish between hype and long-lasting trends.

 

 

Managing employee experience in the hybrid era

 

 

After more than a year of working from home, employees are used to autonomy – and most aren’t willing to give it up. Previously, the concept of employee experience was synonymous with office environments. It was about the design, services and amenities in these spaces and how they combined to enhance productivity, engagement and wellbeing. Providing an exceptional experience at work had become a weapon in brand-building, talent attraction and retention, and broader business success.

 

 

But this view of employee experience has always been too narrow. For millions of office workers, the pandemic has exposed an often-overlooked fact: work is a thing that you do, not a place you go.

 

 

According to Gensler’s recent US Work From Home Survey, people are anticipating a return to a new and different workplace. Companies that try to resume business as usual where the office is concerned will only cause employees to question whether it’s worth making the commute.

 

 

The challenge for businesses is to give employees more control over where and how they work while maintaining health, safety and privacy, and planning appropriately for workspace needs.