The Future Is Now: Majority Leaders Commit to Expanding Telework Opportunities Within Two Years - A Study by ZDNet

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The global pandemic has had a lasting impact on the workplace, making remote work a common practice. Added convenience and better flexibility have made hybrid workstyles a mainstay, but their effects on the workplace are still being analyzed.

On Monday, Zoom published a whitepaper with Reworked Insights titled “Navigating the Future of Work: Global Perspectives on Hybrid Models and Technology.” The paper surveys 600 IT and C-Suite leaders and nearly 1,900 knowledge workers to explore the role of flexible work models in the workplace and their impacts.

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The most distinct benefit of remote work is the location flexibility it gives workers. On the other hand, the biggest argument against remote work is the lack of productivity fueled by the distractions of different environments and the risk of becoming disconnected from the team.

Surprisingly, the report found that 83% of employees feel more productive in hybrid or remote environments than in-office or on-site settings. Furthermore, 82% of hybrid employees feel very or moderately connected to their managers, while only 72% of in-office employees reported feeling the same.

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As a result, leaders are aligning their workplaces with employees’ demands. 64% of leaders shared that their workplaces have already adopted a hybrid model. That number is only set to rise, with 82% of leaders planning “to make their working styles more flexible in the next two years.”

Leaders have observed a similar trend in the last two years: 50% shared that their workplaces have become much more flexible, and 45% said they have become slightly more flexible.

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Despite this report’s results, many Fortune 100 companies have enforced return-to-office policies in which employees are required to work from the office at least some days out of the week, as indicated by the Fortune 100 Return To Office Policy Tracker .