The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the role of the office, with many employees working from home and adapting well to the remote environment. Overall, this change has been positive, with businesses naming flexible and remote working as their top positive change in our recent Future of Work survey and 75% of employees in the Adecco Group’s global survey wanting a mix of office-based and remote working.

Despite this, 28% of businesses polled said their teams would be permanently based in the office, while 50% said they would not hire permanent remote workers. This demonstrates that businesses continue to place a high value on people being together, particularly for team morale, implying that physical office space is arguably just as important for fostering collaboration and sustaining a positive workplace culture. If you are keen on renting an office space, check out an office for rent in kl near LRT.

So, what advantages do offices provide to businesses and employees, and why is returning to the office to work, even if only part-time, beneficial to both?

1. Offices improve employee wellbeing

• Companies must consider the well-being of their employees as offices begin to reopen. Because of the lockdown, 41% of employees have felt more anxious and isolated than ever, and 42% have struggled with their mental health more than usual in recent months. Whereas a return to the daily office commute is unappealing to those who have benefited from the flexibility of home working, a compromise between the two is the logical solution, with a mix of office and home working preferred by the vast majority of employees.

2. Offices boost local economies

• The drop in footfall from office workers’ spending has had a massive impact on communities. Meanwhile, people do not want to return to traditional commutes, with 85% preferring to work closer to home in the future. Placing office spaces on local high streets where people live and work helps to revitalise regions by putting office workers among other businesses that rely on their trade.

3. Offices helps optimise innovation and collaboration

• Offices play an important role in collaboration by providing a space for collective innovation, productivity, and well-being, as well as areas for employees to work and relax. As a group, ideas can be shared and developed more easily. In a shared space, it’s also easier for colleagues to communicate with one another, read moods and emotions, and bounce ideas off one another. This generates energy and a positive working environment that cannot be replicated remotely or via video calls, and it is critical for the success of any team.

4. Offices influence company culture

• Culture influences a person’s job satisfaction and ensures they are more engaged and passionate about their job. What employees encounter on a daily basis at work has a significant impact on a company’s reputation as well as how it attracts and retains talent. It is more difficult to implement activities and practices that foster a strong company culture in the absence of a physical space.