In this report by Capgemini Research Institute – The Future of Work: From Remote to Hybrid – We surveyed 500 companies and 5,000 employees worldwide and spoke to academics and executives. We found that remote work is definitely the new normal – 75% of companies expect at least 30% of their employees to work remotely, while more than 30% expect 70% of their workforce to be remote. In the third quarter of 2020, companies found that remote work increased productivity and cost savings by up to 24%. But nearly 70% of companies expect these benefits to outweigh the contagion due to reductions in real estate, facilities management, etc. , and business travel expenses, employees fear long-term consequences as fatigue begins to take its toll. In fact, half of the new joiners we spoke to said they would quit if only a remote job was presented to them.
The shift to a hybrid workforce model is inevitable, but you can’t just give your employee a laptop and a bonus to buy a better chair. Organizations must focus on the employee – their changing needs and behaviors. Only by changing the way they manage and lead, reshaping employee touch points and reimagining the role of the physical workplace – will they create a truly hybrid model and see improved productivity, lower costs, revamped management roles and a strengthened cultural fabric. This may be a result of this new normal.
However, while the way we work is increasingly governed by machine intelligence, the new normal would be nothing without a human dimension.