After years of conflict and tension around return-to-office mandates and hybrid schedules, the latest annual survey from design-build firm Unispace shows that U.S. employees and employers have finally found an acceptable middle ground.
According to the report, From Restrictions to Resilience, 98% of employers in the region are happy with their current hybrid working arrangement, while 90% of employees feel the same. In fact, American companies and workers demonstrate more harmony on this issue than their global counterparts at 95% and 87% on average, respectively. U.S. employees are currently in the office 3.8 days per week, a slight increase from 2023 (3.6 days).
While the amount of time spent in the office hasn’t changed dramatically in the past year, employers’ attitudes about the return-to-office (RTO) have evolved. Last year, 80% of employers in the U.S. mandated their employees to return to the office. However, they acknowledged that employee retention and attraction suffered as a result – half (50%) of these employers experienced higher turnover than normal, and more than a quarter (27%) found it harder to recruit. When you consider this was the general sentiment just over a year ago, the current mutual contentment around hybrid schedules is even more notable.
“For years, U.S. employers have been experimenting with the carrot vs. stick approach when it comes to RTO. This year, it’s firmly in the carrot’s favor as evidenced by the mutual agreement on hybrid work schedules,” said Albert DePlazaola, Senior Principal, Strategy, Americas at Unispace. “Employees’ goodwill must continue to be earned, however. To ensure the office continues to work for employees, organizations must offer quiet workspaces that enable focused, heads down work in a shared space.”
The survey data puts a finer point on this. While employees emphasize that “building social connections” and “face-to-face collaboration” are top office benefits, they also expect to have the opportunity to do focus work so they can “feel more productive” – and this is where the current office is missing the mark.
Striking the balance between concentration and connection
While face-to-face collaboration remains a top incentive for coming to the office, U.S. employees spend most of their time (60%) at their desks, doing focused work. Unfortunately, they’re finding that limited space options, noise and in-office interruptions often disrupt their focus. The difficulty in doing heads-down work is just one of several challenges highlighted in the survey results.
To mitigate these challenges, the report recommends a combination of furniture and workplace configurations that cater to various tasks and working styles. Employers should consider designating quiet, peaceful spaces for concentration or rejuvenation, as well as more dynamic areas for connection and teamwork.
For example, Columbus, Ohio-based Bread Financial, a leader in data-driven payment, lending, and saving solutions, created ‘zones’ to support varying employee work styles, enabled by a phone app that allows staff to conveniently book a desk when they need to do focus work.
With pioneering organizations like Bread Financial leading the way, U.S. employee and employer harmony on hybrid is notable compared to their counterparts in other regions. They’re among the most likely to say that their workplace enables employees to be innovative (80% vs. 76% globally).
Narrowing generation gaps in the office
Younger generations (ages 18-34) prefer remote work compared to their older counterparts. But their response to prized office ‘perks’ intended to entice them back to the office is the highest of all generations.
For example, younger generations see the most benefit from mentorship, and 79% of U.S. employees would be happier to spend more time in the workplace if they had access to it. And the vast majority of them said they would happily spend more time in the office if their employer provided subsidized travel (86%) or access to amenities like a gym (86%).
“Clearly, investments in the office and incentives—not mandates—drive Gen Z office occupancy,” said DePlazaola. “It’s strategic for employers to explicitly understand these employees’ needs in order to create an office environment that works best for them.”
Creating welcoming spaces that inspire
To enhance the office’s appeal for all generations, the report notes that spaces must foster a sense of employee belonging and identity, reflect organizational values, and allow for flexible start times. In fact, nearly three-quarters of employees (71%) in the U.S. say they would be happier to spend more time in the office if their workplace had spaces that connect them to the organization’s brand, culture, and values.
People want to work in spaces that are bright, inviting and engaging, and that celebrate not only the organization, but the diverse individuals it comprises. For example, Downstream, Unispace Group’s experience design agency, recently transformed the employee experience within the New York headquarters for Google’s Global Business Organization in St. John’s Terminal. The new office includes a mix of spaces, enhanced by sculptural elements, QR code-driven story plaques, and advanced workplace technologies, to foster DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) and accelerate innovation.
The importance of creating a workplace that fosters belonging and identity cannot be understated. When asked what elements U.S. employees would like to see in their “future workplace” (i.e. the office in five years), a workplace that fosters belonging and identity remains in the top three responses, along with access to a “tech-enabled workspace” that provides advanced collaboration tools and smart features, as well as flexible schedule options such as compressed workweeks.
