Just what is the ideal number of days in the office?

Nuvias’s latestUK channel partner survey says that Most partners expect the growth they experienced last year to continue, with 75% experiencing growth between 2-10% last year and 62% predicting that to be the same again this year. 

On hybrid working. There were two camps – one accepting that remote working had increased productivity and helped strategic thinking. At the same time, the other, which was smaller, expressed their views that working remotely had made running the business more difficult.

The negatives around hybrid working included working long hours and struggling to see customers and colleagues. Nuvias suggested that the different responses could be linked to generational divides and job categories.

 There’s also research out regarding the impact of company culture – does remote work destroy company culture?  No, an MIT and WebEx survey found – that instead, it improves company culture and feelings of inclusion and diversity.   At least 56% of Generation Z, 52% of millennials, 45% of Generation X, and 35% of Baby Boomers say that diversity and inclusion have improved with the advent of remote and hybrid work models,

At least 44% of respondents from North America and Europe believe that the ability to express personal opinions has increased.

For those interested in the research on how much you SHOULD be in the office, a new Harvard Business School paper reports on research giving us the “sweet spot” of hybrid work – it’s just one or two days in the office, providing workers with the flexibility they want without the isolation of fully remote.    That from Bloomberg… which is a sign of the times, also has guidance on the quote “The Smart Way to shift to a four-day workweek.”  

For a bit of color, the New York Times has a piece on tech companies‘ efforts to make the return to the office fun – with perks.       Parties, food, and even concerts.  

As the article observes, not commuting gets the average office worker an hour a day back… so QUOTE “you can see why employees are not going to start coming to work for free bagels or to play Ping-Pong.”

This is the typical BS when leaders don’t know what to do.  

Earlier in the week, I noted the data showing technology companies would be the leaders in remote work, which is why this data is essential.     The research shows the direction – it’s the confident who will take advantage of it and the managerially challenged who throw pizza parties.