Dive Brief:
- Nearly 70% of employees working from offices with modern aesthetics and state-of-the-art technology said they are happy with their jobs and their organizations, according to a new Envoy and Wakefield Research poll of 1,000 workers. Half of workers whose offices are "dowdier" and equipped with outdated technology said they were happy with their jobs.
- While survey respondents said they would like an onsite gym (31%) and monthly events like yoga (24%), the happiest employees already had convenient amenities, including: free beverage stations (51%); a company cafeteria (33%); the ability to control conference room temperatures (32%); iPad sign-in, badgeless entry and other technologies (28%); and concierge services (26%).
- Despite the growing trend toward remote work options, 54% of the respondents said they were more motivated by social, face-to-face interactions with colleagues in the office over remote-work arrangements. Nearly a quarter of respondents said that a sense of collaboration among employees shaped their first impression of a company when they were candidates.
Dive Insight:
A new Capital One survey showed results similar to Envoy's; 90% of respondents in Capital One's poll said they perform better in well-designed workspaces, and three-quarters of them said their performance was better in workspaces that encouraged collaboration. Eighty-eight percent of respondents also reported wanting more private spaces where they could concentrate on their work.
This finding coincides with survey results from earlier studies showing that while open office spaces are conducive to collaboration, many workers still want work areas that allow them to stay focused and undistracted in their work as part of their wellbeing. In designing or reconfiguring office space, employers may want to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach and reserve space for private work areas.
