A new age of perks need to be offered by employers to improve work-life satisfaction
In the post-lockdown world, companies are trying to lure employees back to the office by offering everything from free lunch to private concerts. But a new survey reveals that employees want designated quiet spaces where they can work in peace – rather than the typical corporate perks like ping pong tables and gaming consoles.
Companies are eager to get people to return to the office, but the pool tables, beanbags, and ball pit meeting rooms they left behind will do little to lure them back. In fact, 57% of workers agree that access to privacy is the best office perk. Innovative soundproof private space provider Framery commissioned a survey to learn what people want in order to come back to the office.
Through the survey over 4000 white-collar respondents shared exactly what they want in order to return to the office. The survey findings show that employees are less interested in fun and games during the work day and more hungry for perks that enhance their work-life satisfaction. Key highlights include:
- Almost half of all office workers identified access to a designated quiet space (44%) as the office perks they want most.
- Many employees expressed concerns about returning to open-plan offices, with 41% reporting that their ability to concentrate in an open-floor plan office has significantly worsened after the pandemic.
- More than one-third (35%) of office workers say that communal games like ping pong and gaming consoles are the least wanted office perk.
- Nearly half of the office workers are dreading the commute the most as they return to work (44%), followed by office dress codes and communal bathrooms.
“The findings should put a final nail in the coffin of the ping pong tables, beer kegs, scooters, and other artifacts of ‘mandatory fun’ office culture,” said Framery’s Founder & CEO, Samu Hällfors.
Rather, Hällfors said, the survey findings highlight that after two years of bringing the office into our homes, employees are eager to replicate the best work-from-home perks in the workplace.
“Working from home made it possible for people to exercise more regularly and to do more quality work without the constant interruptions of the open office,” says Hällfors. “These are tangible benefits that made employees happier and more productive – and it’s clear that they don’t want to give them up as they return to the office.”
He added: “Employers are navigating complex challenges to lure their employees back into the office, but have little research or the strategy of what will work. We hope these survey results will shed some light on what employees want most when they return.”
Framery Introduction
Framery is an industry pioneer that is serious about workplace happiness. The company is in the middle of shaping the office experience for millions of workers all over the world. The brand’s product offerings of pods, phone booths, and soundproof private spaces solve noise and privacy issues in open offices, making employees happier and more productive in dozens of the world’s leading companies, including Microsoft, Puma, Vodafone, and Deloitte. In fact, the majority of all Forbes top 100 companies use Framery. Framery’s mission is to be recognized as a pioneer of technology-driven solutions for a smart office and a challenger of change in office design.
