Work from home? Or, work from anywhere?

Is working from home here to stay? Or will this model shift to work from anywhere? Are employees satisfied with remote working?

These are important questions discussed in a Capgemini Research Institute  report on The future of work: From remote to hybrid.

The need for a sustainable remote-working model

Following the changing workplace instigated by the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working has become the 'new normal'. But, for Capgemini, there is more at stake than lower overheads for organizations or beachside “offices” on remote tropical islands for employees.

Over the long term, the only sustainable model is one that offers employees flexibility and choice and organizations agility and resilience to the organizations. By conducting the report, Capgemini wanted to understand the evolution of “remote working” into “hybrid working.”

The benefits and set backs of remote working

Through surveying 500 organizations and 5,000 employees around the world and speaking with academicians and executives, Capgemini's report found that remote working is definitely the new normal. 

75% of the organizations expect at least 30% of their employees to work remotely, while over 30% expect 70% of their workforce to become remote. As they transition, organizations are finding that remote work boosted productivity and cost savings, by up to 24% in Q3 2020.

But while nearly 70% of organizations expect these benefits to outlast the pandemic, spurred notably by reductions in real estate, facilities management, and business travel costs, employees are feeling apprehensive about the long-term consequences, as burnout starts to take its toll. In fact, half of the new joiners Capgemini spoke to said they would quit if remote working were the only option presented to them.

Incorporating a human dimension into the new normal

"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," comments Capgemini.

For Capgemini, it is important that organizations focus on the employee – on their changing needs and behaviors. It is only by changing the way they manage and lead, by reframing employee touchpoints, and by rebooting the role of the physical workspace – they will create a truly hybrid model and see the improved productivity, lower costs, refreshed managerial roles and strengthened cultural fabric that can be the outcome of this new normal.

"Although the way we work is becoming increasingly governed by machine intelligence, the new normal will be nothing without a human dimension," adds Capgemini.

Download the Capgemini report to learn more.

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