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PAE

Five-day office returns unlikely

without office space rethink

Employers need to speak to staff from the space itself. With our data showing
and rethink workspaces before that people don’t feel productive in the office,

pushing ahead with full-time office it’s understandable that many want to continue
working in a hybrid manner.
returns, according to workplace
creation expert, Unispace. “However, with firms also revealing difficulties
attracting and retaining staff at a time when

Responding to reports from the latest skills shortages are still rife, it is imperative
KPMG CEO Outlook that suggest 64% of that business leaders get to grips with the
global leaders expect staff to be back in the unique wants and needs of their workforces
workplace full time by 2026, Unispace has and use this information to drive meaningful
warned that employee engagement could be changes. What people need in the workspace
damaged if mandates are used to achieve today is vastly different to a few years ago.
these attendance levels. Having been able to work in quiet spaces
but also collaborate online when needed,
In its Returning for Good report, the firm employees are rethinking how and where they
found that 58% of workers struggle to carry out want to work. If employers force a five-day
their core job in the office due to distractions office return too quickly and without finding
and excessive meetings.The data also out what their people want from the office,
revealed that over a quarter of businesses that staff attraction and retention will be negatively
had already mandated returns were struggling impacted.”
to recruit while 42% had experienced higher
than usual staff attrition rates.

As Lawrence Mohiuddine, CEO EMEA at
Unispace, explained, this suggests employees
are struggling with office working and likely to
move elsewhere if forced to return to a space
they do not feel productive in:

“While encouraging a return to the office
makes business sense for firms that have
spaces going underutilised, there needs to be
complete clarity around why people haven’t
naturally begun heading into the workplace
more and what difference workforces want

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