Evolving role of an office: What do employees want?

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Employees value 'building social connections' and 'face-to-face collaboration' as the key benefits of being in office.

Two-fifths (41%) of Hong Kong employees now prioritise more flexible scheduling options, such as compressed workweeks and flex time, as the top workplace change they want to see in the next five years, according to the latest global survey from Unispace.

The survey also showed that 84% of Hong Kong employees are open to trialling a four-day workweek, with 51% willing to extend their workday to 10 hours to maintain a 40-hour workweek.

However, employers in Hong Kong lagged behind in flexibility and adaptability, with only 36% of businesses offering flexible working schedules to their employees (vs. 48% globally).

In addition, compared to their global counterparts (25%), Hong Kong employees (28%) are also among the most likely to report that their workplace attendance is monitored.

Attitudes towards return to office (RTO)

As working preferences evolved, the survey also explored employees’ attitudes and expectations towards RTO.

According to the findings, while employees valued 'building social connections' and 'face-to-face collaboration' as key benefits of being in the office, they also expressed a growing need for spaces and technology that support focused work.

Segmented by age group, younger employees aged 18-34 tended to favour remote work. They also viewed an office as a hub for collaboration. Currently, they work in the office 3.9 days per week and prefer three days in the office instead.

On the other hand, older employees aged 55+ primarily used the office for focused tasks, with 65% preferring quiet areas for focused work or privacy, and 50% agreeing that their team works best when they are co-located.

Despite the differences, employees of all ages in Hong Kong are motivated to work from the office at least 3.8 days per week, higher than the global average amidst RTO mandates.

However, Hong Kong employees have been cited in the survey as being the most likely to report a lack of team connection while working from home (40% vs. 26% globally), shedding light on their unique behaviour around RTO policies.

Meanwhile, over a third (35%) of employees reported a lack of space to rest, recharge, or de-stress in the office, while 28% cited an inability to stay active during the day. This especially echoed to younger employees, who cited that their biggest challenges in the office include a lack of spaces for rest, relaxation (41%), and physical activity (29%).

The report also found that both employers (44%) and employees (46%) identified technology infrastructure as the top essential factor for an effective workplace.

Jianhan Qiu, Principal, Strategy (Asia), Unispace Asia, said employees in Hong Kong have gotten used to preferring to do their focused work from home, while primarily choosing to use the office as a collaborative space.

“The traditional measure of ROI in the space is utilisation. Now we are seeing a shift in terms of how the employees are being measured. It is not about how they utilise the space, nor the time that they spend in the office, it is more about performance-based output. The space that is not being used doesn’t mean it is not important,” he said.

“Many organisations want to make decisions top-down, and the decision makers are usually slightly older. I think representation in the stakeholder group is very important.”

Sustainability is another crucial element to the younger employees as they grew up in an environment where ESG is much more important to them.

“Many people think of the dollar side of integrating sustainability in an office, believing the upfront cost will be very high. But think about how much energy you save and how much talent you can retain since most of the talent is happier to work for a company that applies sustainability and workplace wellness. It is also an investment of the talent,” said Cheryl Martirez, Design Associate, Unispace Asia.