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Bloomberg reports that CEOs hellbent on getting workers back in the office after the Covid-19 restrictions claim that being physically together boosts connectivity, but it turns out that’s not the case.
Only one in six people feels strongly connected at work, with on-site employees the least connected of all, according to a study released on Tuesday by consulting firm Accenture. The study surveyed 1,100 C-level executives and 5,000 workers across skill levels globally in the middle of 2021. A total of 22% of fully remote workers said they felt “not connected,” while the share for those in the office was nearly double. “One might think a quick fix is simply to bring everyone back to work on-site and human connection will happen. It’s not that simple,” the report indicated. With the tightest labour market in America in decades, many people who have successfully worked remotely for more than two years are pushing back against a wholesale return to the office. Workers at companies such as Apple have rebelled, arguing they’re just as productive and much happier at home. Part of the reason so many workers, especially those who are in the office full-time, were so disconnected was because they felt ignored by senior management, said Accenture’s Ellyn Shook. Many executives greatly overestimate how connected their employees feel, she pointed out. “People want choice. I really believe that dialing up listening and acting on what you hear can really address that,” Shook said. Some employers are rethinking their RTO (return to office) plans altogether after two chaotic years of Covid-19’s twists and turns and a broad reckoning of work culture. Credit Suisse CEO Thomas Gottstein doesn’t think banks will ever return to working full-time from the office, and Airbnb said in April that its employees would be permanently able to work from anywhere.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jo Constantz at BusinessLive
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