• A recent study from Cisco shows how both employers and employees are ready to return to the office.
• KPMG released a similar report, noting that the majority of CEOs predict a shift back to pre-pandemic work conditions.
• If a return to the office is going to happen successfully, offices need to be properly equipped, Cisco explains.

Post-pandemic, hybrid work has seemingly been adopted by all industries where an employee’s presence was not essential at the office. At least, that’s what we thought until a recent Cisco study on hybrid work globally has shown otherwise.

In fact, the global study which got responses from 14 050 employees and 3 850 employers from 19 countries across the world, shows that 80 percent of employers are mandating a full/partial return to the office, while 72 percent of employees are actually positive about heading back to the office.

Does this mean that the bubble has burst when it comes to remote working, and that hybrid work has only proved a stop-gap as life returns to “normal” three years on from the pandemic?

Well yes, and no.

The key consideration facing many South African businesses is the ability to be flexible in terms of meeting the demands of both employers and employees. “Local businesses need to consider shifting their strategies to reap the benefits of hybrid working and remain competitive not only in South Africa but internationally,” Cisco outlined in a release shared with Hypertext.

Here the digital communication specialists point to the fact that offices need to be geared to cope with a return of employees, not just in terms of adequate hardware or real estate, but also in terms of technology solutions and services.

To that end, the Cisco study shows that 76 percent of employees do not feel that current meeting rooms are adequately enhancing productivity at the office. Added to this is the fact more than 50 percent of the office space is still dedicated to personal working areas and not shared or collaborative ones.

As the way people have worked has evolved rapidly over the past few years, so do the physical spaces where people are made to work. If there is indeed to be a true embracing of hybrid work, more needs to be done about improving the office environment and make it a space where productivity can thrive in the same way it does with remote work at the moment.

“This global focus on digital innovation resonates strongly with the possibilities of hybrid work models, especially here in South Africa,” noted Conwell Less, collaboration specialist at Cisco.

“Such models offer employees the best of both worlds: the valuable interaction and collaboration that comes with in-office presence, alongside the solitude and flexibility of remote work that contributes to a healthy work-life balance. This can be a key advantage for South African businesses looking to attract and retain top talent in a competitive market” he added.

While one part of the Cisco study shows that there is a growing sentiment to return to the office, another aspect shows just what kind of positive impact hybrid work has had.

“For example, 65% of employers said that hybrid working has had a positive impact on their employees’ wellbeing, and 66% indicated that it boosted productivity. Further, 65% reported that it unlocked cost savings for their businesses, while 56% said that it benefited team communications, diversity and inclusion, and boosted workplace culture,” Less pointed out.

Looking at a 2023 CEO Outlook report from KPMG, a return to the office seems inevitable. Whether that it full or part-time remains to be seen, but either way, businesses need to ensure that productivity does not falter regardless of where the workforce choose to be.

“72% of Southern African CEOs support that in three years the working environment will return to pre-
pandemic ways of working, while the remaining few still believe in hybrid or remote ways of working. The majority of Southern African CEOs would like their employees to return to in-person work in the next few years,” the report predicted.

“The younger workforce values the autonomy and flexibility that is usually offered by remote work. In
this regard, 87% of Southern African CEOs are willing to incentivise and provide employees who come into the office with favourable assignments, raises, or promotions. Although this is the sentiment across Southern Africa, it is crucial that leaders remain supportive in their approach that considers the needs of employees whilst embracing employee value proposition,” KPMG explained.

Whether it is remote, hybrid, or fully in-office, the next few years will require businesses to strike the right balance to keep workforces both happy and productive.

You can read through the key findings, as well as download the Cisco Hybrid Work Survey, here.

We recently discussed this subject in an episode of Mass Debate, which you can listen to in the embedded Spotify player below.

[Image – Photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash]