A survey by Wisetail, a leader in learning engagement and management software
that builds companies into communities, has revealed that nearly half (48
percent) of U.S. employees will be back in the office full-time, despite industry predictions.
Of the 1,000 survey respondents, 86 percent reported that they haven't started
at a new company in the past 12 months, contrary to reports issued around the Great Resignation.
For the respondents who
described their work setup as hybrid, more than 75 percent stated that they
preferred to be in the office three or less days per week. When asked what the
greatest benefit of the hybrid setup is, over half stated that it was work/life
balance. On the other hand, when asked about the greatest challenge of hybrid
work, respondents were divided between the option to socialize (23 percent),
commuting (22 percent), scheduling in-office time (15 percent) and facing no
challenges (21 percent).
When it comes to the hybrid
workforce, communication is key. Colleagues must be able to discuss information
efficiently, empowering them to be more productive and yield the best results.
When asked to list preferred modes of communication between colleagues,
respondents listed email as the top method (84 percent), followed by video
calls (65 percent), phones (65 percent), chat apps (52 percent) and a corporate
social network (20 percent). Furthermore, when asked what makes them feel the
most connected to their colleagues, employees responded with video calls (52
percent), in-person socials (33 percent), chat apps (32 percent), company
all-hands meetings (14 percent) and a corporate social network (9 percent).
A quality onboarding and
training process can make the difference between employees feeling confident
and ready to tackle their jobs head on or feeling ill-prepared and unsettled.
The employees who described their work setup as hybrid and also started a new
job in the past 12 months revealed some interesting statistics around their
onboarding experience. When asked about their favorite part of their training,
41 percent stated that it was their supportive, helpful coworkers, while 48
percent stated it was the training process itself including sessions, training
software and gamification. This point was further amplified when workers
revealed that the area that needed the most improvement in the training process
was inadequate training software and lack of gamification (41 percent).
"The most important strategy
for our businesses today is our people strategy," said Ali Knapp, president,
Wisetail. "Creating a people-centric culture goes beyond onboarding and
position-based training. It's about creating a community of continuous
learning, supporting the whole employee and giving people the tools they need
to thrive. This is evident by the nearly 55 percent of survey respondents that
indicated a people strategy with a solid training process can be the deciding
factor when deciding between jobs. As a result, it's important for employers to
consider using a tool such as a learning management system (LMS) or learning
experience platform (LXP) when it comes to attracting and maintaining talent."
The study was carried out in
October 2021, with questions asked to 1,000 full-time employees across 250+
companies regarding their work experience.