Work continues to evolve, and with the return to work life following the holiday season, many are wondering: what will this year hold for hybrid work and workplaces throughout Canada? Staples Professional is sharing its predictions for workplace trends that will prevail this year and beyond, informed by its Evolution of Work Report, a survey conducted in collaboration with Angus Reid Group, North America’s foremost name in research.
“We’re experts in the world of work, and we’re seeing that companies are continuing to evolve their understanding of what workplace strategies look like and how they can best support employees,” said David Boone, CEO, Staples Canada. “As a brand committed to supporting employers and employees, we have worked with our expert partners to help identify key trends that will help inform strategies to create workplaces that foster connectivity, collaboration and culture.”
Key trends that workplaces can expect in 2024:
- Flexible work models are here to stay. Most hybrid workers are required to come into the office between one to three days each week, and four-in-five (81%) of those surveyed are highly satisfied with their current arrangement of home and in-office days.
- Greater focus on connection and culture. The top benefits of in-office days among employees include building quality relationships (65%), better communicating with colleagues (53%), and feeling connected to your company (48%).
- Technology will continue to be both a draw and a need for the workplaces of the future. Many hybrid workers rely on the office for access to equipment they may not have at home – hybrid workers who come into the office most often are also most likely to say better access to equipment is a main benefit to coming in (37%). Among all hybrid workers, roughly one-third (30%) say better access to equipment is one of the main benefits to coming into the office.
- Hybrid workers are still working on their home office setup and have access to better workspaces in the office. Hybrid workers who are less happy with their home office setups are more likely to be relying on in-office equipment. Those who say their home working setup is only ‘adequate’ or ‘poor’ are more likely to cite better equipment as a reason for coming in (43% vs. 25% of those who are happy with their work-from-home setups).
- Hybrid work models make employees happier. The majority of those surveyed (56%) say they’re happier on the days when they work from home. Employees report being happier more of the time in the office if they are a newer employee with the company (51%), experiencing low/no burnout (47%) and are able to choose how many or which days they come into the office (50%). In contrast to the rest of Canada, if you’re a Quebecer, you’re happier more of the time in the office (58%), vs. working from home.
- Workplaces will continue to adjust their work models, but personalizing the model for your company is key to supporting optimized productivity. While the majority of employees felt they were well-informed about when and how often they will be coming into the office in 2023, almost half (47%) are uncertain about work guidelines for 2024 and beyond.
“With everything that we’ve learned and continue to learn about hybrid work and its impact on employee happiness and productivity, it’s important for workplaces to find the right balance, and support their employees with the right solutions,” continued Boone.
As the leader in business solutions, Staples Professional continues to keep a pulse on the evolving world of work to partner with its clients on how to best support them with hybrid work solutions. This includes everything from technology and workplace design solutions to branded promotional products and everyday office supplies – all with the goal of supporting productivity and connection to a client’s brand and culture. Members receive access to a dedicated account manager who tailors the business program to their organization, providing access to a network of product subject matter experts, easy online ordering, discounts and perks, free next-day delivery and more.
As well, to help inform its solutions around hybrid work, Staples continues to work with a team of experts for its Work from Anywhere Advisory Council, a collective of industry experts and thought leaders across the fields of tech, productivity, design, ergonomics, and more. The Council supports the new world of work with expert insights, thought leadership and informative content to work smarter, learn more and grow every day. Find out more about the Staples Work from Anywhere Advisory Council and its members at here.