How have the past three years altered the world of work, both in terms of technology and culture? Data suggests there has been greater emphasis on the importance of work-life balance, social interaction, and career growth opportunities in the more progressive companies.
This is the conclusion drawn from the firm Techspace’s report, titled The Scaleup Culture Report. This is a U.K.-based assessment into the current state of workplace culture across the technology industry.
The report draws upon a YouGov survey of 1,000 tech workers, shedding light on how companies are adapting to new working models and shares insights and learnings to help businesses.
In particular, the report reflects on the significant impact of the past three years, driven by the pandemic and the competitive market for talent in tech. 65 percent of those surveyed believe the impact of the past three years has had a positive impact on their company culture.
The types of issues and working practices that are proving to be popular with employees include hybrid forms of work. Here 67 percent of employees consider a hybrid working policy a high priority when deciding to apply for a job. This also matches with worker experiences for 75 percent of technology workers now have either a hybrid model with no set days or a minimum number of days they are expected in the office each week.
In terms of how this is manifest in terms of time on and off premises, hybrid workers are more likely to follow the so-termed ‘TWiTs’ approach (Tuesdays, Wednesday, including Thursdays) and head to the office mid-week. This form of working is more popular in the capital with Londoners being the most likely to work for a company with a hybrid work arrangement, as opposed to fully remote or full-time in the office.
Even the requirement to be on site three-days per week is seen as too much for the majority of employees, with 60 percent of respondents stating that they want just 1-2 days in the office. Mid-week is twice as popular as Monday or Friday. According to recent reports from the BBC and Transport for London (relating to train and bus usage), Friday has become the quietest day.
To a degree, the report shows a disconnect between employees and managers – employees believe they are more productive at home but managers disagree.
This is partly influenced by the type of work undertaken. For example, engineers want to work from home more than those in non-engineering roles. In terms of the roles most likely to require a greater on site presence, 80 percent in leadership roles, excluding those who don’t have an office, choose to be in the office 2-4 days per week, due to a greater need for face-to-face interaction with other team members.