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

office fit out cost guide 2023
The Race For The Best Office Space: Fit Out Costs Across Europe Rise 9%

 The UK and Germany top the list of most expensive regions to fit out an office with costs expected to remain high in the near term before falling in 2024.

05/04/2023

Ireland Outlook 2022 real estate event
Outlook 2022

Join our virtual event on 26 January 9.00 to 11.00 to find out what our experts are expecting for the Ireland commercial real estate markets in 2022. 

11/01/2022

Q1 Hotel Market
The resilience of the hotel market in Q1 will be tested by COVID-19

The Irish hotel market began 2020 with development activity leading the sector, alongside a solid level of transaction activity. 

29/04/2020

INSIGHTS

Ireland Dublin
MarketBeat • Insights

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 • 24/04/2023
Investment-Market-750-x-456
Insights • Investment / Capital Markets

Irish Investment Market

Access the latest quarter commercial real estate results for Ireland's Investment sector. Marketbeat analyzes quarterly market activity including supply, demand and pricing trends.
Kevin Donohue • 31/01/2023
Samuel Beckett Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge in Dublin
Insights • Economy

Ireland Real Estate Market View

A regular update on the latest in commercial real estate in Ireland.
Johanna Gill • 07/04/2022

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