According to research by Poly, workers in Ireland need ‘a compelling reason’ to return to the workplace.
A new report on hybrid working by communications tech company Poly has suggested that Ireland is one of the more reluctant nations when it comes to returning to the physical workplace.
Poly surveyed 3,000 workers and 2,750 employers in nine European countries to find out their attitudes towards hybrid working and the return to the office.
The resulting report, ‘A Reset for Return to the Office? The Journey To Hybrid Working’, found that nearly two-thirds (64pc) of all workers are unwilling to go back to the workplace.
They cited reasons such as safety fears, uneasiness about managing care arrangements, commuting times, loss of productivity and the inability to focus at the office.
Workers surveyed in Ireland were the least enthusiastic about the return to offices, with 83pc saying they did not want to return.
Dutch workers were the most enthusiastic, with only (56pc) saying they didn’t want to return.
‘The country is facing a perfect storm unless companies invest more time into well thought out policies and strategies’
– PAUL CLARK
Poly, the US communications software and hardware provider that recently picked Galway for its EMEA hub, made a series of recommendations for what companies can do to ensure their hybrid working practices are attractive for employees.
Given the reluctance of Irish workers to return to the workplace, the company said it is necessary that employers overhaul their culture when it comes to hybrid working.
“Getting hybrid workers back to the office is pivotal to an effective hybrid work model, but the country is facing a perfect storm unless companies invest more time into well thought out policies and strategies,” said Poly’s EMEA senior vice-president Paul Clark.
Clark noted that the cost-of-living crisis has left many employees weighing up whether to travel into work or save the money to spend elsewhere. Workers know they can work from home, so many don’t see the point of the office any more.
Clark recommended that companies take a “Glastonbury-inspired approach to the return to office in the hybrid working world”.
“When you hear people talking about why they went, they never say it’s because of how nice the Pyramid Stage looks. The appeal is the total experience festivalgoers get – the food, the bands, the people,” he said.
“Organisations must think about the total experience – how spaces work, the technology behind them and address cultural issues. Doing this will help organisations to magnetise their workforce to the office, instead of mandating a return or using ‘guerrilla tactics’ to force employees back.”
Above all, employers need to focus on providing staff with “a compelling reason to return to the office” that makes it worth their time and money, Clark said, “while also implementing the technology required to enable employees to work from anywhere in Ireland – and beyond”.
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