Majority of Asia Pacific employees eyeing office return, says JLL | The Edge Markets

Majority of Asia Pacific employees eyeing office return, says JLL | The Edge Markets:


KUALA LUMPUR (July 23): Employees across Asia Pacific have adapted to extensive work-from-home arrangements, but most are eager to return to the office, according to JLL.

An average of 68% of employees surveyed regionally worked from home at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic across Asia Pacific. According to JLL, 61% of the same respondents working remotely said they missed going to the office and would favour a hybrid model combining more flexible work arrangements in the future.

“Our employees in Malaysia [have] started to return to the office on split team basis since May 13, following the announcement of Malaysian government on the relaxation of regulations regarding the Movement Control Order (MCO), with its main goal to reopen the national economy in a controlled manner,” said JLL Malaysia country head YY Lau in a statement.

“Most of us have adapted to working from home leveraging on JLL technologies, but most of our employees still find the lack of human interactions and other challenges such as distractions from their family members and work facilities,” Lau added.

“Employees across Asia Pacific have successfully transitioned to remote working, but our interactions also suggest that many now crave the office environment's cultural and human experience. It is becoming clearer that the office is here to stay, but greater acceptance of remote working will force a new workplace model for many corporations regionally,” said JLL Asia Pacific CEO Anthony Couse.

“Offices will continue to play a central role in defining company culture, creating a shared purpose, and meeting employee needs for personal and professional fulfilment. However, Covid-19 will impact how the office looks and feels, as hybrid models comprising flexible work arrangements become mainstream,” said JLL Asia Pacific chief research officer Roddy Allan.

JLL’s new Asia Pacific report Home and away: the new hybrid workplace? argues that employees consistently believed while they enjoy the freedom of working from home, they miss the human interaction and face-to-face collaboration that working in a professional office environment provides.

The report is based on the views of 1,500 employees from five countries across Asia Pacific. Respondents were asked about the impact of extended periods of remote work, access to technology, and which changes in professional behaviour will become permanent.