New research from AV solutions and services provider Kinly reveals that almost two-thirds (65%) of businesses admit their office spaces are no longer optimised for hybrid working.
The disappointing reality of bad offices is faced with the fact that a similar number (66%) of employees have asked to return at least part-time.
A survey of over 400 AV professionals in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the Nordics found that the status of hybrid working is also poor, with businesses struggling to bridge the gap between office and home working.
Offices are no longer suitable
The report highlights the challenges of hybrid working, with around one in three (28%) businesses citing the complexity of flexible and remote communications as a primary concern. In addition, over half of respondents said poor hybrid flows (57%) and outdated AV technologies (58%) were hindering productivity.
Kinly recognizes that demand is changing and found that enterprises are investing in remote support/management (33%), unified communications and collaboration software (33%) and hybrid office meeting spaces (33%).
Simon Watson, Head of Innovation at Kinly, commented: “Bringing employees back to the office is not a solution to poor hybrid working practices.”
Watson added: “Effective hybrid working depends on having the right technology at home and in the office, and most importantly ensuring that all of these technologies work together seamlessly to give employees the same experience no matter where they’re working.”
The report also quantifies the impact of a better hybrid environment on the workforce. For example, employees who have undergone an AV transformation project in the past year report a 42% increase in productivity, a 42% increase in efficiency and a 37% increase in employee retention.
As work habits continue to evolve and digital experiences become more commonplace, it’s clear that businesses need to invest time and money to ensure their office and hybrid systems remain fit for purpose.