Five takeaways from HqO’s 2023 workplace report

Featuring data from Gartner and Leesman, which HqO acquired last year, the report details a shift in how employees perceive and use the workplace.

HqO delved into changes in the workplace since before the pandemic, tracking how employee sentiment has evolved as people head back to the office.

Highlights

• The perceived importance of planned and informal meetings has increased (+3.9% and +1.5% respectively). However, 40% of employees said they are not satisfied with the meeting rooms offered by their workplaces and 45% are not satisfied with he room and desk booking systems
• The percentage of workers who believe learning from others is important has similarly risen 3.9% points
• Three workplace activities that have fallen in importance were telephone conversations (-6.8%), business confidential discussions (-4.2%) and private conversations (-2.4%), suggesting that remote workplaces are better suited for these
• The percentage of respondents who said informal social interaction was an important workplace activity grew by 20% – more than any other activity
• The importance of parking facilities was higher in 2021-22 than before the start of the pandemic, ranking third behind mobile computing equipment and access to IT help.

The acquisition of Leesman gave HqO direct access to the company’s extensive workplace experience research based on about 300,000 responses to global surveys.

HqO supplemented those figures with Gartner’s insights from its qualitative analysis of the workplace experience marketplace and its survey of roughly 200 industries researchers, commercial real estate CFOs and industry finance leaders.

Chase Garbarino, CEO and co-founder of HqO, said: “This year’s report underscores the shifting role of the workplace as employees expect – and, in many cases, demand – an experience that justifies the commute, even it it’s just two or three days a week.

“Interpersonal interaction has never been more important, making it critical for workplace decision-makers to invest in social infrastructure that brings people closer together. Those who embrace connectivity and community are best positioned to maximise productivity and profitability.”