Cisco survey underscores modernizing
offices as key to enhancing hybrid work and increasing productivity
among employees.
News summary:
- Cisco survey reveals
- 72% of employees are positive about returning to the office,
but want better-equipped spaces for collaboration and
brainstorming.
- 81% of employers have already or are planning to redesign
workspaces within 24 months, and
- 83% acknowledge that collaboration-driven enhancements
effectively attract and retain top talent.
- Most employers plan to adopt AI into their organization, yet
few have strategies, facing challenges with security, integration
and costs.
ORLANDO,
Fla., March 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cisco
(NASDAQ: CSCO) at Enterprise Connect today unveiled findings from a
survey that details how the reality of the in-office experience
compares to employee expectations around the globe, and how
employers are investing in AI as a transformative tool for
workplace collaboration and productivity.
The report shows that while employees are positive about the
return to the office, they find that the spaces are too focused on
individual work, rather than environments that foster collaboration
and creativity. As global companies transition to hybrid models,
employers and employees alike recognize the need for office spaces
that encourage collaboration and innovation. Employers agree that
technology and AI investments are essential to enhancing
productivity and attracting top talent, but few have strategies to
implement the technology throughout their organization.
"Making the office a magnet means creating experiences that
employees value," said Cisco Executive Vice President and General
Manager of Security and Collaboration, Jeetu Patel. "To achieve this, organizations
must embed hybrid work solutions, infused with AI, into office
spaces to foster collaborative experiences for everyone."
Key survey findings from 14,050 employees and 3,800 employers in
19 countries include:
- Employees seek in-office collaboration: The report
reveals a surprising truth: employees feel positively about
returning to the office, provided the spaces support seamless
collaboration, social interaction and creative brainstorming. While
72% of employees are positive about returning to the office, only
47% believe their work environments are equipped for this new era
of hybrid work. It's time to advocate for and design office spaces
that truly support the ways employees want to work together.
- Office tech needs to change to enable collaboration: 85%
of employers say that most of their office space is allocated to
personal working spaces, creating individual working environments
and encouraging individual working habits. Technology
infrastructure and integration is a major area of concern across
the globe, with ineffective meeting rooms due to inadequate audio
and video technology hindering productivity and collaborative
efforts. Among employers who find meeting rooms ineffective in
boosting in-office productivity, the main reason is insufficient
audio and video endpoints, with 41% in the Americas, 52% in
Asia Pacific and 42% around
Europe.
- Employers will invest in office design and tech to attract
top talent: 81% of employers have already or plan to redesign
workspaces in the next 24 months. But these enhancements are not
just cosmetic; 90% of employers in the Americas, 94% in
Asia Pacific and 85% in European
countries report that collaboration-driven workspace enhancements
are highly or moderately effective at attracting and retaining top
talent. This is a testament to the belief that the right
environment can be a powerful draw for a skilled workforce.
- Organizations realize the value of AI to increase
productivity: Employers are making a strong commitment to
integrating AI into the workplace. By 2025, 73% will invest in
AI-powered collaboration software, with 68% planning to enhance
their workspaces with AI technologies. 80% of employers plan to
invest in AI for workspaces and collaboration by the end of 2025,
recognizing the potential of AI to revolutionize the working
environment. This underscores the need to accelerate AI adoption
within the workplace to enhance productivity and create a
future-ready office environment.
- Employers must focus on closing the AI skills gap: While
43% of employees have access to AI technologies, less than half
feel proficient in using them. With 1 in 4 employees not well
prepared to use AI, this highlights the need for training and that
businesses must select AI that meets both the organization and
individual team's needs.
For more information about the study, please contact Cisco.
Methodology
The Cisco Hybrid Work study is an online survey of 14,050 full-
time employees and 3,800 employers, undertaken in December 2023 and January
2024. Respondents are from 19 different markets, grouped
into three different regions: the Americas (Brazil, Canada, Mexico, USA),
Asia Pacific (Australia, Hong
Kong, India, Philippines, South
Korea, Taiwan, Thailand) and Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United
Kingdom). Data was also collected from the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East and is included in the global data
analysis but is not included in the breakdown of the regional
results.
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that
securely connects everything to make anything possible. Our purpose
is to power an inclusive future for all by helping our customers
reimagine their applications, power hybrid work, secure their
enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their
sustainability goals. Discover more on The Newsroom and follow us
on X at @Cisco.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks
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listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at
www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are
the property of their respective owners. The use of the word
partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and
any other company.
About Webex by Cisco
Webex is a leading provider of cloud-based collaboration
solutions which includes video meetings, calling, messaging,
events, customer experience solutions like contact center and
purpose-built collaboration devices. At Webex, we start with people
and their experiences first. This focus on delivering inclusive
collaboration experiences fuels our innovation, which leverages AI
and Machine Learning, to remove the barriers of geography,
language, personality, and familiarity with technology. Our
solutions are underpinned with security and privacy by design. We
work with the world's leading business and productivity apps –
delivered through a single application and interface. Learn more at
webex.com.
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SOURCE Cisco Systems, Inc.