The global COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed an unprecedented shift in the way we work, transforming the traditional office into a new paradigm of remote and hybrid work environments. This seismic change was largely facilitated by the rapid adoption and evolution of video collaboration tools, which became the lifeline for maintaining business continuity and human connection in a world of physical distancing.
Gartner reported that 80% of workers used collaboration tools for work in 2021, up from 48% in 2019. According to Statista, there were approximately 215 million video-calling users in the US in 2023. Microsoft Teams had over 270 million monthly active users globally as of 2023, with the US being one of its largest markets. In a few short years, video collaboration provided the foundation for hybrid work, a modern work environment where people can effectively collaborate from anywhere.
Consequently, as we emerged from the pandemic crisis, organizations and employees alike began to reevaluate the nature of work itself. The traditional 9-to-5 workday has become increasingly obsolete with over 50% of the US workforce operating in a hybrid work environment. Evidenced by Accenture's Future of Work Study 2023, approximately 63% of high-growth companies adopted a "productivity anywhere" hybrid work model.
A survey by FlexJobs found that 95% of respondents said their productivity was higher or the same when working remotely, with 51% reporting being more productive when working from home. Naturally bringing people back to work has been a challenge. After all who doesn’t like working in the comfort of their own home, without having to deal with the daily traffic or public transportation grind?
As the landscape of work continues to evolve, employee productivity in work-from-home scenarios has been a topic of intense debate. A Stanford study found that remote workers were 13% more productive than their in-office counterparts, primarily due to fewer distractions and more convenient work environments. However, CEO perspectives on remote work vary. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, recently expressed concerns about the long-term effects of remote work, stating, "It doesn't work for young people. It doesn't work for those who want to hustle. It doesn't work in terms of spontaneous idea generation”.
This is also a demographic issue, with 75% of Millennials (Gallup) and 65% of Gen Z (Dell) preferring hybrid work environments. An ADP Research Institute study reported that 74% of Millennials and Gen Z would consider quitting if forced to return to the office full-time, whereas 71% of Baby Boomers are comfortable returning to the office.
The implications and opportunities are significant, with different stakeholders facing different challenges. Commercial real estate companies are grappling with declining space utilization. CBRE reported that office space use in the ten largest U.S. office markets was still only at 40% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023. As of 2023, average office occupancy rates in major U.S. cities were around 40-50% of pre-pandemic levels (Kastle Systems). Compounding the occupancy rate challenge is the fact that over 52% of large companies[1] (10,000+ employees) are actively planning and engaged in reducing their office space.
Naturally, the corporate focus has shifted to consolidation and encouraging people back to the office with office redesigns to balance hybrid work, optimizing workplace productivity and enhancing employee satisfaction. According to a 2022 CBRE survey, 85% of large companies (10,000+ employees) were planning to redesign their office spaces for hybrid work. A JLL study from 2023 found that 77% of organizations planned to make their offices more open and flexible to support hybrid working. Gensler's U.S. Workplace Survey 2022 reported that 69% of companies were planning or had already completed office renovations to better support hybrid work. These figures suggest that many companies, ranging from 60% to 85%, are actively engaged in or planning office retrofits to accommodate hybrid work models.
This transition is marked by the integration of collaboration tools, and cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Building Technologies, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), which are reshaping our work environments into more sustainable, smart, and responsive spaces.
Yet the success of building retrofits and new building designs in attracting people back to work since the pandemic have been mixed, with some positive trends emerging but overall return-to-office rates still way below pre-pandemic levels.
Why are more people not coming back to work and what strategies are being employed to turn the tide? We interviewed the heads of corporate real estate, IT, and smart building executives from some of the world’s largest Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Retail and Financial Services companies and the results were surprising yet simple.
It’s not about the technology; it’s about the people and people want adaptive flexible environments and immersive experiences. If their onsite work environments are not better than the alternatives, especially for the Millennials and Gen Z community, they simply won’t come back to work full-time.
It turns out that implementing LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) smart building technologies to reduce energy costs, deploying IoT to automatically turn the lights on when someone walks in a room, and providing frictionless physical security access into a building have a negligible impact on an employee’s desire to go to the office every day. They help however investments in commercial sustainability, environmental, social, and governance programs have a place on the balance sheet, but the hyper-connected future is not about cutting the fuel bill in half or ensuring the elevator goes to your floor without pressing a button.
Bringing people back to work is also not simply about designing 50 different types of collaboration spaces into retrofit offices or greenfield buildings. One of New Era's global customers occupied its new headquarters in New York City in 2023 only to find that the most popular space in the facility was “the lounge”, a WeWork-style conference room that included a couch, several standing chairs, a bench, and audio-visual collaboration equipment. In retrospect it is not surprising that this style room is the most booked space in the building, it reflects the style and comfort of space most people enjoy at home.
Bridging analog physical and digital experiences is a digital transformation opportunity that starts with people. At New Era, we promote human-centric design in the workplace experience. First, we seek to understand what experiences people really want. Human-centered design requires connecting the psychology of the people occupying the space with the culture of the company they work for before technology is even considered. The human-centered design prioritizes human needs, what are people thinking, feeling, and doing, and how we enhance a person’s experience across the entire journey, before during, and after they get to work.
Immersive work experiences and adaptive environments represent the cutting-edge of modern workplace design, seamlessly blending physical and digital realms to create dynamic, responsive spaces that cater to the evolving needs of employees. By 2028 immersive experiences and more advanced and integrated technologies will become the norm in our daily operations. These environments leverage advanced collaboration technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI) to transform traditional offices into interactive, multidimensional workspaces.
Imagine stepping into an office where walls become infinite digital canvases, holographic colleagues join meetings from across the globe, and smart sensors automatically adjust lighting, temperature, and acoustics to optimize comfort and productivity.
We see GenAI as an essential tool in the workplace and to quote New Era’s Steve Daly (SVP of Solutions Global Digital Transformation),
“AI is critical in enhancing workplace productivity, but we are more interested in the augmented intelligence AI can bring."
Augmenting the employee experience with AI to improve human capital is an exciting opportunity and applicable to workers across all industries. Whether you are serving food at a quick-serve restaurant at Wendy’s, the product manager, or a Dr. performing remote surgeries to patients on the other side of the globe. The integration between GenAI, collaboration tools, and connected spaces is essential to delivering immersive experiences and adaptive environments. By immersive we mean the technology works behind the scenes, works as advertised, and eliminates technology conflict friction we are all familiar with.
These adaptive spaces can morph in real time, transforming from collaborative hubs to focused work pods at the touch of a button. With AI-driven personal assistants anticipating needs and streamlining tasks, and haptic feedback devices allowing for tactile interaction with virtual objects, the line between physical and digital work blurs. This fusion creates a highly engaging, efficient, and personalized work experience that not only boosts productivity but also fosters creativity, enhances learning, and improves overall employee well-being.
[1] 2022 CBRE Survey