Recently, a handful of companies have made public workplace policy changes by calling their remote workers back to the office, citing the need for more in-person and in-the-office collaboration.
Such moves are leading some to question whether flexible working is still a viable option. And there’s no simple yes or no answer to this important workplace question, says Peter Miscovich, Managing Director at JLL.
“Even this binary question oversimplifies the complex workplace strategy decisions companies face in preparing for the future of work,” he notes. “To attract digital talent, companies today need to develop agile workplace networks with multiple workplace options.”
The right workplace strategy at the right time
Business models are being turned upside down as companies compete for digital talent to propel their companies forward in the emerging digital economy.
In this highly competitive business environment, a flexible workplace can be a key factor in attracting and retaining digital talent. A recent survey conducted by ManpowerGroup Solutions found 63 percent of job candidates today don’t feel they need to be sitting at their desk to get work done. Moreover, 45 percent of respondents say flexibility is a key motivating factor in considering a job change.
As Millennial and Gen Z digital natives enter the workforce en masse, the way companies think about work will continue to shift, and simplistic cookie-cutter workplace solutions just won’t cut it, says Miscovich.
“The question shouldn’t be ‘do we allow mobile flexible work or not?'” he explains. “Organizations must consider what workplace strategy will be best to empower the current and future workforce to achieve the essential organizational and business ambitions.”
Ever evolving technology behind collaboration and messaging tools have made it increasingly easy for employees to stay connected no matter where they are in the world.
However, organizations are realizing the benefits of clustering in one place—including the corporate workplace. This “paradox of place” is shifting the reasons people have for going to work, rather than working remotely.
“Just because we can work from anywhere doesn’t mean we want to,” says Miscovich. “The casual interactions and the collaboration opportunities that happen in an office all foster a ‘we’re in this together’ culture. Immersive high-quality workplace interaction and collaboration accelerates innovation.”