Almost two years since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and forced remote working, SA companies are returning to the office and are more mindful of employee priorities, expectations and the need for flexibility.
The pandemic forced many companies to embrace the hybrid working model of office and remote working.
Data from London Stock Exchange-listed International Workplace Group (IWG, formerly Regus), one of the world’s largest workspace networks, shows that 90% of business leaders say hybrid is here to stay, and 79% of remote workers report stronger connections with colleagues and teammates.
“Hybrid is the new buzzword for flexible working where employees can work at home, at a local hub or in the office, and everywhere in between. It enables ultimate flexibility, tailoring work around the worker, the project, the location and the ideal workspace,” says IWG CEO Mark Dixon.
Long before the pandemic, the office sector had been battling high vacancy rates as occupiers were reducing space and/or moving to flexible workspaces. But the office space isn’t disappearing. Its use is changing to being a place of collaboration and engagement.
New York Stock Exchange-listed global real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) says the post-pandemic workplace will be people-centric.
To meet this goal, the office will have to be designed with empathy, and co-created with employees through understanding their perspectives, how they work and what they need to thrive.
It is about shaping a workplace that is as comfortable as home and makes the most of the shared office space — where the workplace community can interact, share and head towards a common purpose, says JLL.
JLL’s research shows that 36% of the workforce are able to maintain strong working and personal interactions with colleagues at a distance; 75% of employees expect to feel protected at work when expressing their difficulties or concerns; and 33% of employees do not have access to any health and wellbeing offerings today.
“The appeal of face-to-face interactions is a strong driver for the return to the office,” said JLL adding that mental health should be addressed in the office.
Companies who spoke to Business Day say returning to the office isn’t about ticking the register, clock watching, responding to emails and making phone calls. Employees have proved that they can be productive working remotely — now it’s about having specific tasks in mind when going into the office, collaborating and sharing of ideas.
The priority for many companies will be shying away from the historic normal of what an office space is, and focus more on accelerating collaboration.
The idea is that employees have flexibility to work anywhere, any time and anyplace, understanding that our responsibility is to our customers, and therefore, our working model must also put our customers first and fit with their needs.
— Genevieve Koolen, human resources director at SAP
Covid-19 safety protocols in the workplace remain a priority for getting people back into the office. Full vaccination certificates and negative Covid-19 tests taken within 72 hours are a requirement for employees and visitors to access offices. Social distancing, screening, sanitising and wearing of masks in the office remain in place, and staff have options to go into the office on certain days of the week.
PwC which moved its head office to a new modern building in Waterfall City in early-2018 told Business Day that even before the pandemic, flexibility was already in place — the pandemic provided an opportunity to rethink its work strategies.
“Our flexibility model was designed around the needs of our staff, the majority of whom spend two-three days a week in the office or at our clients’ premises,” the company says. “At PwC we will use our time in the office together to collaborate, innovate, solve important problems and socialise while we will perform deep work at our homes.”
Genevieve Koolen, human resources director at SAP, says the company has launched a “éPledge to Flex”, a trust-based flexible way of working.
“The idea is that employees have flexibility to work anywhere, any time and anyplace, understanding that our responsibility is to our customers, and therefore, our working model must also put our customers first and fit with their needs,” says Koolen.
The company views this as being focused on maintaining relationships while being agile, flexible and accountable about where and how employees work, she says.
For Broll Property Group understanding the potential of the office space is an art and a science and that people who inhabit the work space embody a myriad of behaviours that extend across professional, personal, functional and emotional boundaries is important in successfully getting employees back into the office.
“The work space should provide an environment that our home offices can’t. The office is the heart of our business where people feel excited and welcomed to return to a place where they know they belong,” says Lianie Minny, MD for Internal Developers, a division of Cushman & Wakefield Broll.
Minny says Broll has adopted the hybrid model as the company understands the value that the office provides towards building a high performance culture.
“Our teams are incentivised to return to the office knowing the leadership team is also engaged at the office and there are opportunities to learn from colleagues, collaborate and be mentored.”
Deb Fuller, group executive for human resources at Nedbank, says the group formed the hybrid working model in 2021, adding that the company will continue to focus on the health, safety and security of its employees.
This new way of working promotes innovation and collaboration that consists of activity-based environments that are digitally enabled. Employees will book office space, meeting rooms or seats, according to the functions they need to perform while on-site, she says.
“Nedbank’s property portfolio is planned to accommodate about a 60/40 split of on-site/off-site workers which will see approximately 60% of all the office staff working at the various Nedbank campus sites on any given day,” says Fuller.
Engineering consulting and advisory firm Zutari first adopted the hybrid model after the second Covid-19 wave in December 2020, and employees are reportedly enjoying being back at the office.
“Returning to the office has mental and physical wellbeing benefits. We all need to connect, socialise and engage all of which contributes to improved cognitive performance and operational effectiveness,” says Nicola van Tonder, people operations manager at Zutari.
Van Tonder says a welcoming space in the office such as opening a canteen (safety protocols observed) and employee awards for work recognition are some of the incentives to help staff adjust to being at the office.
She says for the first time being at the office enables graduates, new employees and leadership programme delegates to interact in real time on-site which has been great for connectivity between different parts of the business while boosting employee morale.
Whether companies adopt the hybrid working model or return to the office full time, companies will need to reimagine the workplace of the future aligned to business needs.
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