Epicenter and Entra have worked side by side to facilitate growth, innovation, and a positive work environment for businesses. Therefore, we are very interested in what the workplace of the future looks like. In these times, characterized by rapid technological development and shifting social dynamics, it is important to understand how the work environment is evolving. Last year, we released a report addressing whether offices and culture can be catalysts for growth and innovation. This year, we explored whether the power balance in the Norwegian business sector is changing.

Read the report on innovation and culture here – https://arbeidsplassforfremtiden.no/2023-rapport/

Through thorough analyses, surveys, and insights from both employees and employers, we have examined the answers. In this article, we will review some of the key findings from the report to understand more about whether the power balance in Norwegian business is changing.

We asked the opinions of 1,000 office workers aged 25 to 65 and five leaders interested in office design and innovation in their organizations, and here are some of the main findings:

Balancing Act: home office vs. Team Cohesion 

6 out of 10 say they work from home at least one day a week, but there are also several challenges with remote work: 4 out of 10 say it makes them feel less connected to their workplace and colleagues, while 1 out of 3 say that remote work makes it harder to collaborate across teams. Despite this, over 50% said they would consider quitting if the flexibility of working from home was taken away and they couldn’t choose their work location.

“For many employers, the solution to this has been to introduce mandatory office time. Nearly half say that their employers have implemented fully or partially mandatory office time over the past year. The main argument employers use is that they want to build culture and work environment, and have more control and oversight of their employees.”

– Mathias Willumsen, Country Manager at Epicenter Oslo

Furthermore, 7 out of 10 also say it is boring in the office when colleagues work from home, and 30% wish that employers would encourage colleagues to come to the office more days a week. There are mixed signals indicating that it is difficult for employees to see themselves in the bigger picture.

Despite this, a four-day workweek outweighs the desire for flexibility of a home office  – the majority of respondents aged 25 to 49 say they would rather have a four-day workweek with 100% salary than work five days a week with the option to work from home. Only in the age group 50-65 is the desire for remote work higher than the desire for a four-day workweek.

Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is here to stay. More than 1 in 4 employees who have changed jobs in the past year stated that the balance between work and leisure was an important reason. However, there is also a fine line between flexibility and resignation. The survey also shows that employees seek more flexibility and a better balance between work and leisure, but they still desire clear boundaries.

This may mean that good leadership and clear communication, as well as insight-based decisions, are needed to adapt what flexibility, social activities, and a good work environment can be in your organization.

Find the Balance Between Flexibility and Culture Building

Ensure to create a workplace strategy that combines flexibility with the importance of physical presence. For many employees, working from home is a great advantage, not least to make everyday logistics work. For the organization, it is necessary to build a strong culture and cohesion, and this usually happens best through physical presence. Be open and communicate clearly why the choices you have made are important and right for both the employees and the organization.

Do you want to read the entire report?
https://arbeidsplassforfremtiden.no/