A new study shows eight out of 10 employees in the Philippines responded positively to their organization’s mandate to return to the office, and 9 in 10 expressed a desire to return to the office at least a few times per week.
However, the Cisco study titled “From Mandate to Magnet: The Race to Reimagine Workplaces and Workspaces for a Hybrid Future, 37 percent of employees believe their office is not fully fit for purpose to enable them to do their best work.
When referring to office layouts and seating arrangements, 73 percent of employees feel these are not conducive to collaboration and brainstorming purposes.
“Our study reveals that employees in the Philippines have embraced hybrid work and are willing to return to the office more often, but with a caveat, workspaces must adapt to their evolving needs and expectations,” said Zaza Soriano-Nicart, Cisco Philippines managing director.
“In the era of hybrid work, employers need to reimagine their workspaces as a hub for collaboration and connect people in new ways with the right connectivity, collaboration tools, and culture.” Nicart said.
While there is a growing emphasis on collaboration, 78 percent of employers surveyed still allocate at least half of their offices to individual workspaces, the Cisco study noted.
The study further highlighted workspaces are not ready for this new way of working.
Employees feel individual workstations (47 percent), and large (55 percent) and small (69 percent) meeting rooms are ineffective at boosting productivity in the office, or only do so moderately at best.
The Cisco study found 93 percent of companies in the Philippines have mandated a full or partial return to the office, with productivity, team communication and leadership pressure as key drivers.
Despite the positive reception to the office return, employees’ motives for in-office work have significantly evolved. The main reason for their return is not individual work, but rather to collaborate (82 percent), ideate and brainstorm with colleagues (65 percent) and foster a sense of belonging (45 percent).
The study, which examined employee and employer attitudes about current workspaces, revealed that workspace design, layout and technology have not kept pace with changing employee expectations.
The study is based on a double-blind survey of 9,200 full-time employees and 1,650 employers surveyed in November 2023. Respondents are from seven Asia Pacific markets including Australia, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and South Korea.
