In a recent study, Cushman & Wakefield compared the answers of a survey of 40,000 people about their views of office work both before the coronavirus pandemic and during it. The initial findings were that while employees are able to work productively outside the office, the biggest problems adjusting were experienced by younger generations. Most employees value the ability to choose where they work, however, personal interactions in the office is still of prime importance. The study concluded that offices will continue to be needed in the future, but their purpose will increasingly be to act as a place for cooperation, for building relationships, education and for supporting creativity and innovation. With the coronavirus pandemic in retreat, employees and managers are allowing teams back into the office in limited numbers. This means deciding who will come in on which days and why.
“Companies because of this are realizing that some employees can continue to work in this way permanently, to a certain extent,” said Radka Novak, head of office agency at Cushman & Wakefield’s Prague office. “That’s why they’re counting on a flexible approach even in the future.” She said that younger members of the team often have more to lose by working from home because they tend to need more guidance. “With junior positions in particular, regular interaction with more experienced colleagues plays a crucial role,” she said. “Less experienced employees need to see the more senior colleagues at work, to have their personal supervision and get feedback from them.”
