A recent survey has revealed the state of uncertainty that currently threatens working environments.
Via RTE.com, more than 95% of employees support some form of remote working once they return to the office. Covid-19 has changed what employees want and what employers may need to consider for creating the most efficient output.
The referenced survey had 6,400 respondents from both the public and private sector.
It revealed:
- 75% of companies are yet to decide on how they will operate after the pandemic.
- 78% of the companies that have decided how they will operate will use a hybrid model.
- In those models, employees would be on site either two or three days per week.
- Only 49% of employees believe everyone will have their own desk.
- 35% believe employees will share desks.
- 12% of employees believe desks will no longer exist, replaced by shared collaborative spaces.
- 4% believe there will be no office space and all employees will exclusively work from home.
- 8.2% of respondents have relocated geographically within Ireland because they can now work remotely.
Office jobs are no longer going to be office jobs. The ambiguity of what a typical space is will linger over the coming years. For employees, the benefits are clearly outlined in the survey:
- 91% said they had greater flexibility working remotely.
- 86% said it made life easier.
- 68% said it increased productivity and reduced work-related stress.
- 51% of employees said they were working more hours at home than on site.
The hybrid model looks set to become the norm in Ireland. It benefits employees and could benefit employers. A more productive, happier group of employees will have wide-ranging benefits.
But for Facilities Managers, it poses a huge challenge.
Portobello Institute Lecturer Bernard Mac Oscair has noted that Facilities Managers don't deal well with uncertainty. All of the changes that are going to come means figuring out exactly what's needed for each employee, for each workspace and who is responsible for handling that change.
The tried-and-tested building manager who has spent 20 years in an office environment will suddenly have to understand the changing layout of his building and the new responsibilities he has to support remote workers.
It will mean changing how space is used within the building and changing the technology that is required to connect exterior employees so that they are all efficiently coexisting from remote locations.
At Portobello Institute, we have been offering Blended Learning to our students for years. Blended Learning is a hybrid working model for students doing courses. They're not working nor are they employees, but the concept is the same. They are on site two days per week and working remotely outside of that.
Considering this is something that our college directors had considered before Covid-19 even existed, it's not a surprise that our Facilities Management lecturers were also contemplating the potential for a changing working environment.
As such, Mac Oscair will be leading a webinar that features prominent industry experts discussing the future of the workplace after Covid-19.
You can sign up for this free webinar on June 22nd by clicking the following link:
Webinar - The Future of the Workplace post Covid-19
If you would like to read more about Facilities Management, you can visit the FM section of the Knowledge Zone to read articles on various topics. If you are interested in the wide range of FM courses offered by Portobello Institute, you can all of our courses in the Facilities Management Department pages.
For any queries relating to Facilities Management, you can contact Brandon McLean of our Admissions team on 01-892-0035 or email him at brandon.mclean@portobelloinstitute.com.
