Are employees returning to the office? Yes. And more of them are returning on a full-time basis, according to a recent report from JLL.
In its Nov. 15 report, Is hybrid really working? Creating a dynamic workplace for a productive workforce, JLL surveyed more than 20,000 office workers over a year and received feedback from more than 200 corporate real estate decision makers from July through August of 2023.
A big finding? More employees are spending more time in the office today, with JLL reporting that employees across the globe are spending just more than three days in the office on average, with peak attendance on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
According to JLL’s research, 35% of employees globally were working a full five days in the office during the first half of 2023. A total of 45% were working three to four days a week in the office, 18% one to two days a week and just 2% were working fully from home.
Compare these numbers to the first half of 2022. JLL found that 14% of employees were working fully remote then while just 20% were working five days a week in the office.
This is good news for the office market. As JLL says, as employers continue to expect more in-office work and companies increasingly move from fully remote hiring, office attendance is expected to rise incrementally through the end of 2023 and into next year.
Beyond improving collaboration, social connection and cultural bonds, employers told JLL that they see in-office work as a significant contributor to employee productivity. This is one of the main reason why more employers — 33% of them across the globe, according to JLL’s research — are introducing compulsory attendance rules.
“The office has always been, and will continue to be, central to work experience and culture,” said Neil Murray, chief executive of Work Dynamics for JLL, in a statement. “Our research finds that the majority of global workers continue to crave a destination for human connection, so creating dynamic spaces that satisfy a mix of collaborative and focused work needs will ultimately be the most effective strategy to enticing employees to the office on a regular basis.”
