Cisco Study Reveals Canadian Employees Crave In-person Experiences, But Offices Are Not Delivering

News Summary:

• Cisco Canada survey shows 64% of employees support their organization’s mandate to return to the office, motivated by the desire to collaborate, ideate and feel a sense of belonging.
• Current office space is not set up to meet this demand as most (83%) organizations still dedicate more than half their space to individual work stations.
• As organizations reevaluate office spaces and policies, flexible work styles must be embraced as preferences are evenly split between in-person, hybrid and remote work.
  

TORONTO, March 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) released findings from its Reimagining Workspaces Survey which showed working preferences are shifting as employees crave in-office collaboration and social interactions, and now, the race is on for workspace design and technology to catch up.

Study data found that 76 per cent of Canadian companies are choosing to partially or fully mandate a return to the office with productivity, team communication, and workplace culture as key drivers for the decision. Sixty-four per cent of employees positively support their organization’s decisions, however their motives have significantly evolved.

Canadians want to be in the office to collaborate (58%), ideate (27%), and foster connections with colleagues (28%), but current workspaces do not meet this need. Most (83%) employers allocate at least half the office to individual work stations. As a result, only 40 per cent of employees say their offices are very well prepared to support changing hybrid work needs.

“Companies in 2024 need to invest strategically to create spaces that are a magnet for employees,” said Shannon Leininger, President, Cisco Canada. “The backbone of modern workspaces lies in robust, AI-enabled technology infrastructure and seamless, secure connectivity. To meet the evolving needs of employees, workspaces will need to be reimagined and built for purpose.”

Technology is a Baseline Expectation; AI-Enabled Features are Highly Desired
When it comes to the ideal workspace, both employees and employers agree that technology is foundational. Canadian employees ranked technology infrastructure and connectivity (93%) as the most important in office design, followed by layout and seating arrangements (90%), and collaboration and meeting spaces (86%).

Employees also see an opportunity for artificial intelligence (AI) to improve collaboration and their working experiences, but AI adoption among employers is not keeping pace. For example, while over half (53%) of employees agree AI-powered meeting room devices would be most useful to them, only 36 per cent of employers plan to invest in them. Similarly, while 81 per cent of employees agree AI-assistant tools would be most useful to them, only 61 per cent of employers intend to invest in these features.