Hybrid Working Model Set to Remain the ‘New Normal’

With over 1,500 interviews conducted with employees across the US and Western Europe, new research from Futuresource Consulting suggests that hybrid working is here to stay, with 45% of American home-workers expecting to remain at home throughout 2022.  

This news comes from extensive market research carried out by Futuresource Consulting, as part of the Home Working End User Survey. The principal goal of the survey was to determine employee attitudes and behaviour around conferencing technology in the workspace. 

Patterns Shift Across Generations and Job Titles 

Although broad patterns were evident in the data, like the overall rise in homeworking and the inclination of employers to supply equipment, we also spotted certain trends among job titles and age groups.  

Key takeaways include: 

• Those in marketing related roles see higher rates of working from home, compared to admin and R&D (Research & Development). 
• Unsurprisingly, Gen-Z demonstrate a greater interest in adopting virtual reality to assist in remote collaboration. 
• Female employees are more likely to be permanently based at home than male employees. 

How Has the Pandemic Changed Things? 

With the initial survey being conducted in April 2020, analysts have witnessed a unique insight into evolving work attitudes throughout the pandemic.  

A greater investment in quality technology is clear. The need to ease the strains of patchy Wi-Fi and strengthen tenuous connections is perhaps to blame, with most employees favouring sound quality over anything else when purchasing a headset.  

In fact, as many as 32% of respondents switch off their video camera to improve bandwidth. With remote working already taking its toll on the quality of employee interaction, shaky internet connections are serving to intensify this. 

Learn About How Homeworking Effects Your Employees 

With vast changes in business operations and employee communications over the last two years, understanding how these changes impact workers’ attitudes and behaviour is essential. From preferences in the adoption of certain technologies, to barriers effecting productivity, the rise in homeworking presents numerous findings that can impact the workforce. 

To download your free infographic with the key findings of Futuresource Consulting’s research, click here. 

Or, for a comprehensive insight into the evolution of homeworking and the hybrid workspace, you can purchase the original report in full here.  

About the author

Alistair Johnston

Alistair leads the Collaboration team at Futuresource Consulting, researching and consulting on the ways we work together, both in the office and remotely.

With a background in both operations and marketing, Alistair is particularly interested in how individuals and companies adapt under conditions of technological and social change.

Alistair has an economics degree from the University in Cambridge, and has previously worked as a business analyst, particularly within the financial sector.