The way we think about work and what we want from a workspace has changed. From the now familiar: ‘Who’s in the office tomorrow?’ to WFH, hybrid working, remote working, hubs…this relatively new way of working has resulted in technological advances and a shift towards new working patterns that are here to stay. 

International Workplace Group (IWG) reported on some of these changes in their recent trends forecast, ‘The Future of Work’, where their survey of CEOs found that three quarters expected to be working in a hybrid way long term, citing benefits such as employee happiness, improved productivity and higher employee retention. 

With these changes potentially impacting many of our clients, we explored the report in more detail – below are five of the key findings: 

 

1. The creation of ‘Chief Hybrid Officer’ role 

Within large companies, executing successful hybrid working can be complex. In theory of course, it’s just a combination of remote and office work. But it’s not that simple. Teams need to consider ‘where work will happen, the technology tools needed, the team norms, core collaboration hours, and rituals for success,’ the report states. 

With this in mind, new, specialised roles are increasingly being seen in larger organisations – Head of Remote, or Chief Hybrid Officer, for example. Co-ordinating a remote workforce can be time consuming, so appointing an individual to help teams navigate hybrid working and ensure that the potential opportunities are maximised makes sense. 

 

2. ‘Together Tuesdays’ for teams

Replacing the traditional ‘start the week’ meeting on a Monday, the most popular day for getting teams together is Tuesday, with companies encouraging employees to collaborate ‘in a structured and organised way.’  

 

3. Employees want flexibility

According to the report, 50% of employees would only consider roles that allowed them to work in the hybrid way. With so many advantages – better work/life balance, less travel expenses – it’s no surprise that hybrid working is so appealing. In fact, a poll by IWG report found that 88% of employees considered hybrid working to be the leading benefit, with more than half of workers saying that they would consider quitting their job if their hybrid working policy was axed. 

 

4. Increasing use of technology

As anyone working within the Facilities Management industry knows, trends and technologies are beginning to emerge that work alongside more traditional cleaning methods. The same principle applies to the workplace itself; with the arrival of ChatGPT and other AI, the report found that time can be freed up from repetitive, everyday jobs, allowing workers to focus on more creative aspects of their roles. Indeed, in some cases workers are starting to send their bots to video calls if they can’t attend them themselves! 

 

5. Benefitting from experience  

By 2031, more than 25% of workers in leading economies will be over 55, which means that businesses continue to profit from their experience and expertise. The hybrid working model supports this, with recruitment agency Randstad coining the phrase ‘unretirement’ to describe the trend. 

The trends identified within the report demonstrate more than ever how important it is that FM providers are adaptable and agile, able to respond to clients’ requests in a flexible and efficient manner. Every business has its own unique needs and requirements, and at Tudor Group we take pride in our ability to tailor our services to meet those needs. 

Not only does a bespoke approach deliver a better result in terms of the cleaning provided – specific areas or materials can be given more attention as needed – but the additional benefit clients see is increased cost efficiency. Without the cost of unnecessary labour, we can work with clients to ensure we stay within budget constraints.  

 

To find out more about how we work with clients, get in touch to discuss how we can help meet your specific requirements.  

You can download the IWG whitepaper here