New research from VMWare suggests that many employers aren't interested in hybrid work, despite numerous studies suggesting that working from home could have a positive effect on productivity.
The company's report (opens in a new tab), "The Dilemma of Distributed Work: When Innovation and Job Satisfaction Compete," surveyed 5300 HR and IT decision-makers and employee-level respondents from countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) .
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of respondents thought their company was “more innovative” when employees worked in the office, compared to home, while four in five (81%) of respondents praised higher satisfaction labor when they could work. adopt a hybrid work routine.
WFH vs Office
Most hybrid workers also report increases in morale (56%), creativity (52%), and collaboration (53%) over pre-pandemic levels.
VMWare believes that growing economic uncertainty could lead employers to demand a large-scale return to the office in the hope of seeing an increase in productivity, despite low productivity with no proven link to hybrid work practices or distanced himself.
Some employers still don't trust their employees to work from anywhere, with 97% of participating companies admitting to "watching innovation" and 82% of companies enforcing a desk-only policy.
Shankar Iyer, Senior Vice President and General Manager of End-User Computing at VMWare, explains: "Research has shown that hybrid working creates happier, more engaged and more collaborative teams, which can naturally lead to higher productivity.
Iyer continues: “Our research suggests that more companies need to implement formal measures to measure impact to ensure that perception is not reality. Those with hybrid work policies clearly take this very seriously.
Going forward, the study found that 72% of organizations in EMEA plan to invest "significantly" in their digital culture, and a number of companies are using or considering some degree of automation to reduce pressure on employees, thereby increasing productivity at work. all levels. .