Great Adaptations: 2023 Workplace Futures Survey
Our annual workplace survey casts a light on the link between office transformation and employee satisfaction. Download the report
Hassell’s new survey and report, Great Adaptations – 2023 Workplace Futures Survey, reveals companies that have changed their offices and ways of working since the pandemic have a 17% higher satisfaction score among employees than those that haven’t.
Great Adaptations is the fourth edition of Hassell’s annual Workplace Futures Survey, which this year interviewed 3,500 office workers across Australia, China, including Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands. The report by Hassell Senior Researcher Dr Daniel Davis uncovers valuable insights into the current state of the workplace and what it takes to create the ideal hybrid office.
“Great Adaptations paints an overall picture of the return to work, showing that office-based work is on the rise in 2023, led by employees voluntarily returning to high-performing offices.”
Dr Daniel Davis, Senior Researcher and author of the report, Great Adaptations.
Among the report’s key findings are:
- More people are working from the office this year. The number of people working from home full-time is declining and the numbers working from the office is increasing, while hybrid remains stable.
- Companies that have made changes to their offices and ways of working since the pandemic have a 17% higher satisfaction score among employees than those that haven’t. Companies are making a wide range of changes to their offices. There isn’t one universal change that all companies are making. It depends a lot on a company’s management style, growth trajectory and industry.
- One of the most desirable office amenities: a vibrant city. People want to work in places connected to great amenities. The most desirable amenities are grocery stores, green spaces, and good coffee.
- In a downturn, people might not return to the office. We assumed that in a downturn, employers would have more leverage to get people back to the office. In our study, this doesn’t appear to be the case.
- Human resources departments and real estate need to work more closely together. In many companies, different departments are responsible for workplace policies and workplace design. As workplaces go through major upheavals post-pandemic, our research shows that the most effective companies change both things in tandem.
Great Adaptations – 2023 Workplace Futures Survey report also reveals the specific features people want most from their place of work in 2023.
In a nod to a preference for convenience and wellbeing, grocery stores and green open spaces near workplaces have emerged as primary incentives drawing individuals back to the office. The availability of free food and convenient access to public transport also ranks highly, revealing a close alignment with employees’ desire to curb expenditure amid the rising cost of living.
IMAGE: Suncorp Headquarters, Brisbane, Australia. Photography by David Chatfield.
