It’s official: Even bosses think the era of the physical office is over

Slack study finds many bosses are slowly moving away from physical offices

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We’re nearly two years into the pandemic, one of the biggest changes has been the shift in attitudes towards office-based work, previously an unrelenting requirement for many companies.

Now, a new study has claimed that even bosses – the group you might imagine being most wedded to offices – are starting to shift their attitudes tohybrid working.

A survey fromSlackfound 98% of UK-based workplace leaders are rethinking their physical office space, investing in hybrid working tech, or plan to do so.

Hybrid future

Elsewhere, 86.5% of respondents rated workplace flexibility as a medium-to-critical priority, with a focus on investing in tools to improve remote collaboration, something that 69.5% rated as an area of investment over the coming years.

“Almost [two] years into the pandemic, the myth that productivity is tied to the physical office has been truly busted,” said Slack’s Pip White.

“With employees increasingly wanting to choose when and where they work, the HQ has become digital and the place to bring entire organisations together to collaborate, build teamship and problem solve. As this report confirms, for the UK’s leaders, that digital HQ is increasingly vital, becoming the home for both work and culture.”

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Remote is here to stay

The shift towards remote work would’ve been unthinkable prior to a global pandemic completely disrupting so many lives.

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But now, employees have adapted, buying new tech to facilitate remote work, upgrading their home office setups, and investing in super-fast broadband. Cowering spaces, too, have emerged as a winner, as people locate themselves away from hubs such as London but want to leave their house from time to time.

Employees also have more opportunities than before, leading to what some have called theGreat Resignation, often in opposition to return-to-office planning by companies.

Max Slater-Robins has been writing about technology for nearly a decade at various outlets, covering the rise of the technology giants, trends in enterprise and SaaS companies, and much more besides. Originally from Suffolk, he currently lives in London and likes a good night out and walks in the countryside.

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