Property consultant Colliers said office space tenants should consider a flexible work setup for its employees when they map out plans for return-to-office (RTO) setup.
Colliers said this arrangement minimizes employee attrition.
“Corporate occupiers are encouraged to continue dialogue with their employees regarding RTO plans to see what compromises need to be made without risking attrition,” it said in a report.
“It is easy to see why there is an intense pushback from workers against return-to-office (RTO) initiatives. There are plenty of benefits provided by the work-from-home (WFH)/work-from-anywhere (WFA) setup, one of which is that workers do not have to worry about the hassle of commuting,” said Mitzi Blancaflor, Colliers associate director of office services — tenant representation.
Workers have started to prefer WFH setup because not only does this result to more time and financial savings, it also gives them the freedom and independence to manage their workday schedules, Blancaflor noted.
“In fact, Cisco’s 2022 Global Hybrid Work Study found that 66 percent of Filipino survey respondents said their overall well-being improved because they spent less time commuting. In addition, 74 percent of these respondents said they have saved over four hours per week from what would have been spent on sitting in traffic, while 37 percent saved over 8 hours per week,” said Blancaflor.
“Another benefit of a WFH setup is that daily expenses are much cheaper for the employee as they do not have to worry about the cost of commuting, laundry, and food,” she added.
In the same report by Cisco, respondents reported an average income increase of 13.9 percent, with about P7,000 saved per week.
“Lastly, the notion that a worker gets to control the way they work due to a sense of privacy and having their own work environment are crucial motivators for WFH enthusiasts,” she also said.
Blancaflor said advocates of the RTO initiative must keep in mind these benefits when choosing where to set up their company and what type of office space they are looking for.
“To minimize attrition risk and retain talent, flexibility is key,” said Blancaflor.
Blancaflor also cited another study, Mercer’s 2022—2023 Global Talent Trends, which said seven out of 10 employees in the Philippines believed not being able to work remotely or hybrid permanently is a deal-breaker when considering whether to join or stay with an organization.
“In the same study, 74 percent of companies surveyed are providing flexible working options; this is significantly higher than the Asia (50 percent) and global (56 percent) averages,” she said.
