Poly, released data from The Hybrid Performance Review, a study revealing why 63 percent of employees are resisting the return to the office and how employers can better accommodate preferred workstyles. Poly surveyed 5,000 U.S. employees and employers to uncover how workspaces, technology, and personality traits impact performance; and how employers are responding.
“Our research indicates that hybrid work is here to stay,” said Dave Shull President and CEO, of Poly. “Organizations will need to adapt and upgrade their office gear, to include video-enabled meeting rooms with technology that’s as easy to use as the devices we have all come to know and love while working from home. Once we deliver the tools, technologies, and benefits that employees crave today, we will be equipped to take on the future of work.”
Poly announced these findings while opening its doors to a newly-remodeled customer experience center in New York City, to showcase enterprise technology that helps everyone feel seen and heard in the next chapter of hybrid work.
Key “Hybrid Performance Review” research findings include:
Consistent and equitable experiences between remote and office setups are key: The majority (72%) of workers agree that their employers can be doing more to create a uniform experience between those in the office and those working remotely:
- Technology, such as out-of-date or clunky video conferencing technology in the office (17%), and faulty headsets/poor audio (16%), causes frustrations.
- The lack of adequate equipment or retrofitting office space leads to a mere 28% of workers and 35% of business leaders saying their organization has created an equitable experience for remote and in-office workers.
- The inequality among remote and in-office workers is evidenced by less than two in five (36%) employers saying their company has provided adequate technology to connect when working remotely. Only 35% have created new collaboration spaces with video conferencing equipment to bring equality to meetings.
- Business leaders also confess they can do more to support hybrid work. A minority of business leaders rated their company as “excellent” when it comes to supporting hybrid workers with technology (45%), wellbeing services (45%), inclusion initiatives (44%), and collaboration (42%).
Employees are embracing the benefits of hybrid work: The majority (65%) of employers are pushing for a return to the office despite the benefits workers cite in remote and hybrid working:
- Over 7 in 10 employees (71%) agree that working from home suits their personality type better, and the same percentage (71%) agree that working from home has positively impacted their performance.
- Nearly half (41%) of workers say their work equipment is better at home than in the office (35%).
- Despite these benefits, over half (57%) of workers agree they have felt pressure from their manager or company to return to the office.
“Video confidence” is on the rise: Video has become a standard way of working with 71% of employees using it:
- Two-thirds (66%) of workers surveyed agreed they would rather present to a large audience on a video conference rather than in person.
- This number increases when surveying introverts with 75% saying their confidence in tasks such as presenting has increased due to being able to do it via video.
- Video confidence is more popular among more senior employees. More than 80% of directors and 80% of senior managers cite increased confidence when presenting via video versus middle managers (61%) and entry-level employees (55%).
Personal preferences impact workplace productivity: Worker personality traits matter in the return to office transition. Both introverted and extroverted employees favor hybrid or remote work over working full time in an office and say it has a positive impact on how they work, with introverts claiming the greatest benefits:
- Those employees who consider themselves more introverted are almost twice as likely to say hybrid or remote work is better suited to them (48% vs 25%) compared to working in the office.
- A greater number of introverted workers feel their productivity has increased since the pandemic (64%), compared to extroverted workers (51%). This can be attributed to a better work-life balance (38%), and remote work increasing their confidence (35%).
- For introverted workers seeking a new role, 77% stated their employer wants them to be in the office more than they want to be.
- Those employees who consider themselves more extroverted are also more likely to say hybrid or remote work is better suited to them than working full time in the office (41% vs 30%).
For more information on the latest Poly solutions enabling today’s hybrid workforce and preferred work styles, please visit www.poly.com.
