A survey from a tenant experience provider says employees are productive while working at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, but they do struggle with the absence of coworker interaction and "sub-optimal work environments."
The survey is from the company Equiem, which collected more than 4,500 poll and survey responses, according to a company report. The survey was conducted during April and May and the company surveyed occupiers tied to companies in Australia, Ireland, the US and the United Kingdom.
The coronavirus pandemic, which spurred stay-at-home orders for wide swathes of the US earlier this year, put a focus on work-from-home operations in an effort to limit close in-person contacts that spread the coronavirus.
A wide majority of employees, 82 percent, said they were as or more productive at their home, according to the report. But 56 percent wanted better work setups and 45 percent missed having conversations with colleagues, the document said. The report says a quarter wanted "better access to home health and wellness options."
The company found that impairments to productivity included technical and Internet issues, along with distractions and requests from family members and no explicit start or end to the day.
Meanwhile, the report says 60 percent of employees will not be coming back to the office until "it feels safe" and communication and information are important factors for their return.
"Upon returning, over 80% of employees expect up-to-date information on active in-building COVID-19 cases, new safety procedures (including use of facilities), and cleaning procedures from their landlords or company. Over 60% also expect current office density information to be available," according to the report.
Employees in Australia generally said they are more productive compared to prior to the coronavirus lockdowns, according to the report. That stood in contrast to employees in the United Kingdom and in the US, a good portion of which said they were about the same when it came to productivity, according to the report.
"The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown period has accelerated the evolution of the office," according to the report. "More occupiers will work from home after lockdown ends, therefore owners need to be even more proactive in understanding their needs and delivering solutions to address them. They will need to rebuild trust with occupiers, reposition the office as a safe and productive environment, while being able to communicate with tenants who are in the office and at home."
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Ryan Tarinelli
Ryan Tarinelli is a reporter at the New York Law Journal. He is based at the New York State Capitol in Albany, New York. He can be reached through email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @ryantarinelli.
