Majority of employees in telecom and consulting sectors have returned to office with significant fall in Covid-19 cases but the IT sector is lagging, according to a survey by Colliers and Awfis

Majority of employees in telecom and consulting sectors have returned to office with significant fall in COVID-19 cases but the IT sector is lagging, according to a survey by Colliers and Awfis.

Property consultant Colliers India and co-working operator Awfis’ joint report explores the status of return to work across different sectors.

“As the third wave of COVID-19 started waning in February, the return-to-office gained momentum. As a result, by June 2022 about 34 per cent of the companies saw about 75-100 per cent of the employees back in office (includes hybrid work),” the report said.

About 41 per cent of occupiers stated that only up to 25 per cent of their employees have returned to office.

The survey showed that telecom and consulting sectors saw the highest (75-100 per cent) rate of return to office while IT and new technology companies saw the lowest (0-25 per cent) rate of return to office.

“The survey has made it clear that a distributed workspace strategy is the way to go for occupiers in this new era of experiential workplaces, as occupiers emerge from the after-effects of the pandemic. Flex spaces, in particular, are leading this growth, as occupiers from varied sectors are housing teams in flex centres across cities,” Colliers India CEO Ramesh Nair said.

Flexible workspace operators leased about 3.5 million square feet of office space in January-June this year across the top six cities, almost three-fourths of the flexible space leasing in entire 2021, he added.

The survey was conducted during May-June among occupiers to understand their strategies regarding distributed workplace. The respondents were from different sectors such as IT/ITeS, BFSI, engineering and manufacturing and others.

Total 150 responses were received from C-Suite executives spanning Founders, CEOs, COOs and CHROs of various companies. The company size of the respondents varied, starting from a range of 1-500 employees to companies having over 10,000 employees.

As per the survey, about 74 per cent of the occupiers are likely to adopt distributed workspace while 53 per cent of occupiers prefer working from home plus office as their preferred workplace portfolio strategy.

About 49 per cent of the occupiers are likely to adopt flex centres to enable distributed workspace, followed by setting up their own offices in metro and non-metro cities.

The consultant sees opportunities for flex spaces not only in metro cities but also in non-metro cities. “In fact, in non-metro cities, total flex spaces are likely to grow more than two-fold to 5.5 million square feet by the end of 2022,” Nair said.

Amit Ramani, Founder and CEO, Awfis said the findings of the survey are a testament to the success of the distributed work model and subsequently of flex spaces in catering to the ever-evolved workspace needs of India Inc.

“Going forward, 77 per cent occupiers will include flex spaces as part of their workplace strategy. We expect exceptional demand in the future, driven largely by large corporates for de-densification of existing traditional offices,” he added.

According to the Colliers India data, the gross leasing of office rose to 32.9 million square feet in 2021 from 30.1 million square feet in the previous year. During 2019, the numbers stood at 44.8 million square feet across six cities — Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune.

In the first six months of this year, the office leasing has risen to 27.5 million square feet from 10.3 million square feet in the year-ago period. The share of leasing by flexible workspace operators stood at 13 per cent.

This story appeared in the 4 August, 2022 issue of BW People and was originally published at: Return To Office Highest In Telecom, Consulting Sectors; IT Lags: Survey

In a pre-pandemic reality, wellness at the workplace simply implied after-hours engagement activities or run-of-the-mill rewards and recognition programs however present-day wellness is an all-encompassing concept that ranges from employee engagement and L&D to physical and mental health assistance.

The evolved reality is witnessing an unprecedented focus on mental health and holistic wellness, making them the pillars around which the foundation of modern workplace is laid. This shift occurred primarily mainly due to the wave of prospective employees currently entering the job market; the millennials and Gen Zs. With good reason, these employees are looking for work environments that cater to their flexible, yet wellness-focused lifestyles. The realization that the new age workforce coupled with the long-lasting effects of a pandemic have brought to the forefront is that- at its core, the concept of workplace wellness is for everyone!

In a pre-pandemic reality, wellness at the workplace simply implied after-hours engagement activities or run-of-the-mill rewards and recognition programs however present-day wellness is an all-encompassing concept that ranges from employee engagement and L&D to physical and mental health assistance, covering a whole spectrum of aspects that were unheard of about a decade ago. As leaders, each of us needs to take a step back and take note that an average employee spends approximately 50 hours of their week at work. That’s about one-third of one’s waking life every year. Therefore, an employee’s outcome can be directly correlated to their overall wellbeing.

Today, employee well-being has extended beyond physical welfare to focus on building a culture of holistic well-being including physical, emotional, financial, social, career, community, and purpose. At the heart of this is the growing need for flexibility in where, when, and how employees work.

Before setting up wellness programs in the workspace it is essential to have a broad understanding of what the employees of today want. As far as understanding the clientele goes, co-working spaces have cracked the code by combining valuable insight with on-ground expertise gained from our diverse field experience. In line with this, following are the key aspects when laying the foundation for wellness at the workplace:

Physical fitness leads to a healthy mind
Creating workspaces that have indoor gymnasiums, open & mobile spaces, standing desks and designated activity areas is crucial especially given the aftereffects of the stressful lifestyle India Inc. endures. Allowing employees these added benefits as well as the freedom of movement will not only enhance overall productivity but, will also boost their motivation and happiness levels on the regular. Moreover, there will be a constant decline in absenteeism due to illnesses in the long run.

Mental health should be a top priority
We live in an era where mental health is a boardroom conversation however many organizations are still dappling with the finer nuances of getting this right. While companies are recruiting on-call counselling services and intertwining aspects of mental well-being into L&D programs, finer nuances such as strong two-way communication, regular feedback mechanisms etc. should not be overlooked.

The office should move beyond ‘functional’
Gone are the days where offices were mere functional spaces utilized for a mundane 9 to 5, in current times, employees look at offices as spaces where they spend a substantial amount of their waking day and therefore expect an environment that inspires them. From plush setups and color-infused décor to comfortable seating, extravagant cafes and ample natural light, modern employees want their office to be a space of growth, productivity and collaboration where they can spend ample time easily. From sleep pods to gaming rooms, workplaces across the globe are increasingly adopting this trend to ensure employee welfare.

Comfort and convenience are major contributors
The pandemic has redefined concepts such as “work from home” and “work near home” which pre-2020 had a very different connotation. Across sectors, several employees have shown preference for continuing to work from their hometowns to save on costs whilst also living close to their loved ones. As much as possible companies must adapt to this and prioritize their comfort in this case and decentralize so as to keep their workforce happy and productive in the long-run. Companies that are doing this successfully are witnessing unprecedented returns already.

Going forward, leaders must view well-being not just as an added employee benefit but instead as an opportunity to support their teams in all aspects of their personal and work lives!

This story appeared in the 14 June, 2022 issue of BW People and was originally published at: Laying The Foundation For Wellness At modern Day Workplaces, BW People

It has been a few months now since an invisible virus disrupted the daily activities of the world. When Covid19 put the world at standstill, not many were prepared to deal with the challenges that were thrown at workplaces. Keeping the health and safety of the employees at the forefront, every organization opted for work from home for business continuity. It was undoubtedly remarkable how each employee adapted to a new way of working by displaying optimum efficiency and productivity.

While many studies time and again have proven that work from home increases employee productivity, it has also been made aware that a long-term work from home regimen poses multiple challenges with regards to lack of proper infrastructure or dedicated office space and IT support. What started as a welcomed convenience during a time of great uncertainty, rapidly advanced in to a state of apprehension as people struggled to cope with unreliable internet connectivity, absence of ergonomic furniture and amenities coupled with home confinement.

At one point where employees are facing some challenges when working from home, they are apprehensive to return to their workplaces due to safety concerns. The solution? Work near home. Work near home will enable an ecosystem of different locations and experiences to support convenience, safety, functionality, and well-being. Employees can continue to achieve a work-life balance due to time saved on commuting. Time saved on the commute can turn into more fruitful hours, and more quality time with family or friends, a win-win situation for both employers and employees. Employees working from a nearby business centre or coworking space can collaborate and bond with other employees present, which is not possible when working from home. This can aid personal and professional development which can create strong bonds amongst teams.

According to the latest Cushman & Wakefield report, 73% of employees feel that companies should embrace flexible working policies. Coworking spaces, since their inception, have been the ultimate choice for flexible working. Additionally, most employees cannot continue work from home for a long time as most of them have functions that require a high level of centralized supervision which are only available in a formal office setting which can be facilitated by coworking spaces.

Coworking spaces have readied themselves to offer office arrangements within the neighborhood of employees, so that office workflows can be maximized with least risk to the employee’s health. Apart from now offering multiple shifts in most locations to offer flexibility, coworking spaces provide an office-like environment with uninterrupted network connectivity, concierge services, multi-cuisine cafeteria, meeting rooms, etc.

As we steadily adapt to the ever-evolving new normal, shared workspaces have incorporated stringent safety measures to provide for a safe and smooth ‘work near home’ program. Coworking spaces are ensuring member companies to work out ways to keep up social distancing in office spaces. These include running multiple shifts, working on alternate days, and rearrangement of workspaces, including meeting rooms, to ensure only limited number of employees are present at any time, as per govt. guidelines. Additionally, the emphasis is being laid on touchless technology to reduce touchpoints like bar code scanning for tea/coffee dispensing and payment, etc.

Today, as businesses and organizations prepare to find new ways to safely create connections and enable business continuity, coworking spaces are working with companies and employees around the globe to reimagine what the future of work will look like in a post-COVID world.

This story appeared in the 18 August , 2020 issue of BW People and is authored by Amit Ramani, Founder and CE0, Awfis. This article was originally published at: