Share: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn I recommend visiting cushmanwakefield.com to read:%0A%0A {0} %0A%0A {1}

Office workers are struggling to stay connected and learn while working remotely during Covid-19

Aidan Gavin • 30/10/2020

Over half of employees in the EMEA region have struggled to feel connected with colleagues and their company’s culture, while 48% do not feel like they are learning as a result of working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new global study from leading real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, in partnership with George Washington University. While formal collaboration and learning is continuing to take place, there are challenges with informal learning and mentoring which are easier to execute through social interaction in the office.

 

The research, “Purpose of Place: History and Future of the Office”, forms part of a wider series of studies on the post-pandemic office and presents findings related to the balance of remote and office working and the importance of work culture and workplace environments. The findings derive from Cushman & Wakefield’s own analysis of 5.5 million data points from workers all over the globe, in affiliation with the George Washington University (GWU) School of Business Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis, and Places Platform, LLC, a place-based national real estate database firm.

Despite the successes of working from home during the pandemic, this research indicates a meaningful need for some office-based working in the future. While remote working can be beneficial for productivity and providing flexibility, it is less well-equipped to facilitate learning, innovation, and a sense of community to the same degree as the office. For instance:

  • Almost 60% of the employees monitored in the EMEA said they lack a “sense of wellbeing” while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic as they struggle to switch off.

 

Aidan Gavin, Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield Ireland comments, COVID-19 has had a profound impact on the way we work and live. While we expect to see greater flexibility in how people work after the pandemic, this study also highlights company culture, employee retention, satisfaction, and innovation as just some of the key drivers in businesses’ future workplace strategies. From this, a more hybrid approach between office-based and remote working is predicted as we move forward.”

 

Despina Katsikakis, Global Head of Total Workplace, comments: “COVID-19 has been a drastic and society-changing experience that has greatly impacted office workers around the globe. While we expect employers to embrace a more flexible approach to when and where people work moving forwards, it is highly unlikely that a 100% remote working policy will be adopted outside of a singular event such as a pandemic.

 

“The office plays a significant role at forging connections between colleagues and providing sources of inspiration and motivation. That said, key to any workplace strategy moving forwards will be balance. Businesses should strive to unlock the ‘Goldilocks’ relationship, blending an optimal level of remote and office working that aligns and complements their priorities and culture.”

 

RECENT NEWS

Futures of Cities
Future of Cities: Future of Living Event

Join us for a virtual event on Tuesday, 17 May between 8:30- 10:00hrs (GMT+1) to find out what our experts views are on the future of living in cities such as Dublin. 

10/05/2022

Glencar House, Ballsbridge
First major office scheme of 2021 goes on site

This week sees the unveiling of the first major office development to go live on-site in 2021.

Aisling Tannam • 24/03/2021

Future of office space (image)
Office Workers Struggle to Stay Connected and Learn

Latest study from Cushman & Wakefield and George Washington University forms part of wider series on the post-pandemic office.

Aidan Gavin • 30/10/2020

INSIGHTS

Retail-Nederland
Research

European Retail Radar

A comprehensive overview of the retail industry across Europe, backed by thorough research conducted on transactions in 13 European countries and 231 cities.
Sally Bruer • 08/11/2023
Dublin MarketBeat Q3 2023
MarketBeat

Dublin MarketBeat Reports

Cushman & Wakefield MarketBeat reports analyze quarterly economic and commercial real estate activity including supply, demand and pricing trends at the market and submarket levels.
Tom McCabe • 26/10/2023
Investment Marketbeat
MarketBeat • Investment / Capital Markets

Irish Investment MarketBeat

Access the latest quarter commercial real estate results for Ireland's Investment sector. Marketbeat analyzes quarterly market activity including supply, demand and pricing trends.
Tom McCabe • 19/10/2023

CAN’T FIND WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR?

We’re on hand to help. Get in touch and we can help with any additional information you need.
With your permission we and our partners would like to use cookies in order to access and record information and process personal data, such as unique identifiers and standard information sent by a device to ensure our website performs as expected, to develop and improve our products, and for advertising and insight purposes.

Alternatively click on More Options and select your preferences before providing or refusing consent. Some processing of your personal data may not require your consent, but you have a right to object to such processing.

You can change your preferences at any time by returning to this site or clicking on Cookies.

MORE OPTIONS
Agree and Close
These cookies ensure that our website performs as expected,for example website traffic load is balanced across our servers to prevent our website from crashing during particularly high usage.
These cookies allow our website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced features. These cookies do not gather any information about you that could be used for advertising or remember where you have been on the internet.
These cookies allow us to work with our marketing partners to understand which ads or links you have clicked on before arriving on our website or to help us make our advertising more relevant to you.
Agree All
Reject All
SAVE SETTINGS