Approximately 96% of companies in India have implemented a return-to-office policy, driven by factors such as productivity, team communication, and leadership pressure, as per a Cisco study. Contrary to the common belief that employees are reluctant to return to the office, the study indicates that 76% of Indian employees responded positively to their organization’s return-to-office mandate. Additionally, 82% expressed a desire to return to the office at least a few times per week, according to the study titled ‘From Mandate to Magnet: The Race to Reimagine Workplaces and Workspaces for a Hybrid Future’.
“Shifting Dynamics: Evolving Motives for Returning to the Office and the Mismatch with Current Workspaces
However, the motives behind returning to the office have shifted. While individual work was the primary reason in the past, the new focus is on collaboration (80%), ideation and brainstorming with colleagues (53%), and fostering a sense of belonging (58%). This change underscores a shift in employee expectations and the evolving needs of workspaces.
Despite the positive response to the return-to-office mandate, the study indicates that current workspaces are not aligned with the changing needs of employees. About 64% of employees feel that office layouts and seating arrangements are not conducive to collaboration and brainstorming. Despite the growing emphasis on collaboration, 85% of employers still allocate at least half of their offices to individual workspaces.
Office Transformation: Navigating Productivity Challenges and Embracing Hybrid Work Trends
Employees find individual workstations (40%), large (48%), and small (58%) meeting rooms to be ineffective at boosting productivity. Concerns are also raised about technology infrastructure and integration. Employers, who perceive meeting rooms as ineffective, cite reasons such as insufficient audio and video endpoints (48%), poor quality of audio-visual experience (59%), lack of inclusive audio and video endpoints (50%), and inconsistency in the experience for remote and in-office participants (57%).
On a positive note, the study reveals that organizations are making progress in transforming their office spaces. Eight out of 10 employers have already made changes post-pandemic, and 90% plan to do so in the next two years. Key drivers of this transformation include adapting to technological advancements (70%), meeting changing employee expectations for workspaces (67%), and better enabling hybrid work (50%).
Sandeep Mehra, Managing Director of Collaboration Sales at Cisco APJC, notes, “Our study reveals that employees across the region have embraced hybrid work and are willing to return to the office more often, but with a caveat: workspaces must adapt to their evolving needs and expectations.” The study involved a double-blind survey of 9,200 full-time employees and 1,650 employers across seven Asia Pacific markets, conducted in November 2023.
