Steelcase Global Report

Changing
Expectations
and theFuture of Work
Insights from thepandemic to create abetter work experienceJanuary 2021

About the Study
Steelcase Global Reports study work, workers andthe workplace. They explore important issues facing
leading organizations today to uncover key insightsthat can help improve the work experience.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Steelcase has
conducted ongoing research to help organizations
understand its impact on their people and business.
A science-based and data-driven approach uncovers
new perspectives about how and where people
want to work going forward.
This issue shares the synthesis of eight primarystudies designed to measure how the COVID-19
pandemic will change the future of work. The
quantitative and qualitative studies deployedmethodologies based in the social sciences andwere conducted in multiple countries, including
over 32,000 cumulative participants.

Key findings coveredin this report include:4	Working From Home
Around the World
Benefits and Challenges
12	The First Wave ofWorkplace Change
The Hybrid Future
19	Changing Employee
Expectations
Five Critical Elements
33	Four Macro Shifts
Organizations Needto Address

Steelcase is committed to continuing research
to understand what’s next and share what we’relearning to help make work better.
To receive future issues of the Steelcase Global
Report, visit: steelcase.com/subscribe.

Steelcase Global Report2

Learning From
What People Have
Been ThroughThe extended duration and reach of the global
pandemic have changed fundamental patterns
in our lives, accelerating existing trends andrevealing new unmet needs.
How we shop, entertain, travel andlearn are different, and the same istrue for the way people work. As the
pandemic began, people who could
work from home suddenly foundthemselves in the middle of a massive
global experiment, uncovering new
insights about what people need —and will expect — to do their best
work. Whether they are still at homeor have returned to the office, people
have learned from what they’vebeen through and are looking to theirorganizations to create a substantiallybetter work experience than what
they had before the pandemic.
Working from home during
the pandemic enabled manyorganizations to sustain business
operations — some prospering andothers struggling — which led to earlyspeculation that it might become thenew default position and that officereal estate would be significantly
reduced, or even eliminated.

Steelcase Global Report

As the pandemic stretched on,
it became apparent that working
from home is not a one-size-fits-all
experience for people, nor is therea single ideal solution for eachorganization. There are, however,
key themes and patterns that haveemerged from which organizations
can learn and develop newworkplace strategies that meetthe changing needs and demandsof their employees.
Organizations around the worldface dramatically different
circumstances depending on thestate of the pandemic, their locations,industries, cultures and many othervariables. Resilience is critical toall of them, and leading organizations
are looking to this moment as anopportunity to challenge assumptions
and reset the way they work sothey can emerge from the crisis
stronger, with employees who areenergized and engaged.

3

Working From Home
Around the WorldThe experience of working from home has varied
dramatically based on many factors, including
geography, industry, job type and job level.
The quality of people’s home work space, theircaregiving responsibilities, their ability to blockout distractions, their individual work styles andtheir perspective in general have all impacted
how they've felt and performed. People wholive and work in urban areas, usually withsmaller or even shared living spaces, have had
different experiences from people in suburban
or rural areas.
Overall, in every country, people who weredissatisfied working from home struggled morethan others. Organizations can learn from what
researchers have discovered about working
from home to improve the work experiencemoving forward.

Steelcase Global Report4Work From HomeThe Key Benefits and Challengesof Working From Home
People’s experience working from home isdeeply personal and as diverse as individuals
themselves. How people perceive the benefits
and challenges of working from home varies
significantly, yet the data reveal some consistentissues around the world and patterns thatemerge in different countries.

8 of 10

10 of 10

No Commute: Benefit

Isolation: Challenge

Not commuting to the office is almost
universally the main thing people like
about working from home. Eight outof 10 countries rank the lack of acommute as the top benefit, and it
was a close second in China. Only
India ranked it significantly lower. One
participant summarized the sentimentof many by saying, “I’m not wasting
45 minutes in a commute. I can go fora run in the morning and then quickly
get right into work.” Ironically, thething most people like the best
about working from home was not
related to their company’s workplace,but simply to how long or difficult
it is to get there.

Everyone everywhere struggles
with a feeling of isolation whileworking from home. In fact,
isolation ranks the highest among
participants in all 10 countries as
the leading factor that worsened
during mandatory work-from-homeorders. It was especially high inAustralia, Mexico and Spain —countries that rate isolation twice
as worse than any other factors.

The notion that commuting isessentially wasted time is importantfor organizations to understand as
they consider their long-term realestate strategies and flexible work
policies. It is equally important tonote that some degree of commute
can be helpful as it can act as atemporal threshold between work
life and home life.

Steelcase Global Report

Despite all the efficiency-based
arguments for embracing aheavy work-from-home strategy,
people are social animals and do
not thrive when they feel alone.
Loneliness was a growing issue
before the pandemic, and this has
only accelerated over time. Virtual
meetings can’t replicate the samelevel of connection people feel
when they are together.

Work From HomeEngagement andProductivity: Benefit
and Challenge
Engagement and productivity areother key issues, but they are notas straightforward. In seven of the
10 countries studied, engagement
is among the top five things that
deteriorate while working fromhome. Productivity rates in the top
five as well for every country (withthe exception of Mexico which
rated it sixth).
Yet, participants also rank theirability to focus and be productive
at home in the top five things thathave improved (with the exceptionof Canada, which ranks it sixth).
Can both be true? Can employees
find working from home both more
and less productive?
The divided responses reinforce
the notion that working fromhome is a different experience foreveryone and productivity levels
are impacted by how people feel.
Steelcase researchers found a
distinct correlation between people’ssatisfaction with their work-fromhome situation and their engagement,
as well as productivity. Bothengagement and productivity drop
in all countries when people aren’tsatisfied, and it usually declines
further when people have to workfrom home more frequently.

Steelcase Global Report

The level of dissatisfaction withworking from home may explain theseemingly contradictory messages
that the experience is both better
and worse for engagement andproductivity. On average, 41% ofworkers globally are not satisfied
with their situation, which means
they are more likely to experiencedrops in both areas.
There are a variety of factorsthat influence whether people
feel productive and satisfied
working from home. For example,
Steelcase researchers find that,when working from home, common
office furnishings, specifically anergonomic chair, actually help
increase productivity — but only
24% of individual contributors in the
US have one. This look at the role offurniture and productivity suggeststhat physical discomfort can be a
distraction, taking its toll on people’sability to focus. The bottom line: it
is important people have a placethat is distraction-free, where they
can focus, regardless of whether
they are at home or the office.

All 10 countries
report drops inengagement
and productivity
when people are
dissatisfied with
their work-fromhome experience.
In most cases,
engagement andproductivity drop
more significantly
when work-fromhome frequency
increases.

Speed of decision-making, clarity
around responsibilities, and worklife balance also suffer as people
work from home. All of these areinterconnected with the issues ofengagement and productivity. If
employees feel decisions happen
more slowly, are unclear about theirwork, and have to work longer
to accomplish the same amountof work or less, the results canbe reduced productivity and lesscommitment to the organization.

6

Work From Home

Benefits andChallenges of Working
From Home by Country
People told us the three things
they liked most and what got
significantly or moderately worse
while working from home.

Australia
Benefit

Challenge

1

No Commute

1

Sense of Isolation

2

No Office Distractions

2

Productivity

3

Ability to Focus + Be Productive

3

Engagement

CanadaBenefit

Challenge

1

No Commute

1

Sense of Isolation

2

No Office Distractions

2

Clarity of Responsibilities

3

Better Work-life Balance

3

Engagement

China
Challenge

Benefit1

Ability to Work in a Range of Settings

1

Sense of Isolation

2

No Commute

2

Speed of Decisions

3

Ability to Focus + Be Productive

3

Productivity

FranceChallenge

Benefit1

No Commute

1

Sense of Isolation2

Ability to Focus + Be Productive

2

Productivity

3

Increased Flexibility

3

Clarity of Responsibilities

Germany
BenefitSteelcase Global Report

Challenge

1

No Commute

1

Sense of Isolation

2

No Office Distractions

2

Speed of Decisions

3

Ability to Focus + Be Productive

3

Productivity

7

Work From Home

Benefits andChallenges of Working
From Home by Country(continued)
People told us the three things
they liked most and what got
significantly or moderately worse
while working from home.

India
Benefit

Challenge

1

More Time for Health and Fitness

1

Sense of Isolation

2

Better Work-life Balance2

Speed of Decisions

3

Ability to Focus + Be Productive

3

Work-life Balance

MexicoBenefit

Challenge

1

No Commute

1

Sense of Isolation2

Ability to Work in a Range of Settings

2Work-life Balance

3

Family Time

3

Innovation

Spain
Benefit

Challenge

1

No Commute

1

Sense of Isolation

2

Increased Flexibility

2Work-life Balance

3

No Office Distractions

3

Innovation

United Kingdom
Benefit

Challenge

1

No Commute

1

Sense of Isolation

2

No Office Distractions

2

Engagement

3Work-life Balance3

Speed of Decisions

United States
BenefitSteelcase Global Report

Challenge

1

No Commute

1

Sense of Isolation2

Ability to Focus + Be Productive

2

Productivity

3

No Office Distractions

3

Speed of Decisions

8

Work From Home

Drops in Engagement
and Productivity For
People Dissatisfied
Working From Home

-6%

When people are dissatisfied with
their work-from-home experienceand have to do it more often, theyreport drops in performance.
Engagement
Productivity

Australia

-9%

-16%

Canada

-4%

-17%

China

-19%

-11%

France

-8%

-2%
-2%

-16%

India

-7%

-9%

Mexico

-11%

-18%
-3%

-5%
-7%

-14%
-12%

Steelcase Global Report

Germany

Spain

UnitedKingdom

UnitedStates9Work From Home

Five Patterns of Work-From-Home
Experiences
To better understand the nuances of how people
feel about working from home, Steelcase researchers
augmented quantitative data by interviewing people
in North America and Europe for deeper insights.
They found the experiences people described fell
into five patterns of behavior and attitudes.
It’s important to note that it’s possible for people
to associate themselves with more than one of thepatterns. They are meant to be extreme categories
that can help us understand the different experiences
people have had and what their expectations may
be when they return to the workplace.

Steelcase Global ReportWork From Home

Overworked Caretaker
Home office is a nonstop
flow of competing demands
This person is torn between meeting
work responsibilities and managing
family needs. Their long, jam-packed
day is chopped between meetings,
focus work, homeschooling anddomestic chores. Exhaustion andguilt are piling up. They take comfort
in finally being allowed to show they
are parents and not worry if theirkids are heard on a call. They missthe office for the opportunity to leave
home responsibilities behind andhave control over their attention. But
they appreciate the flexibility to workfrom home as needed to more easily
manage between their family andwork responsibilities.

Relieved SelfPreservationist
Home office is the only
place I am safe

Frustrated Creative
Networker
Home office is a suspension
from normal life and work

This person’s main concern is not
COVID; it’s their psychological safety.
They feel their company is creating ahostile work environment and working
from home has been a welcome
respite from an organization they feel
does not appreciate them. They’reless anxious and more productive,
able to focus on work, rather thanmanaging relationships. Working
from home gives them a more humanexperience that allows them towork in a space that is their own.

These individuals are conflicted
about returning to the office. They
spend most of their day co-creating,coaching, persuading and connecting
the dots — work done much betterin the office, especially with larger
groups. But although they desire
the benefits of the office, they don’t
think it’s safe to return. They havequickly adapted the use of digital
tools, but they crave more — virtual
meeting technology is still too
limited for creative collaboration andinformal, spontaneous connections
across silos. COVID has been a hugechallenge when they suddenly foundthemselves cut off from in-person
interactions that drive their work. Withlimited tools and a lack of experiencein making them work, they haveshifted focus to more individual tasks
done more easily from home.

Isolated Zoomer
Home office is a lonely cage
Autonomy Seeker
Home office is freedom
Thrilled to work at their own rhythm,
without someone constantly looking
over their shoulder, this person feels
just as productive at home as before,
if not more. They feel a greater senseof wellbeing at home, where they canlook out the window, sit in different
postures, cook healthy meals andweave in activities that help themrecharge and relax, such as hanging
out with their pet. They especiallyenjoy the level of control they have indesigning their own work experience
to curate a schedule that braids
together life events and work events.

Steelcase Global Report

This person lives alone without
any self-imposed boundaries tokeep to a healthy work schedule.
They’ll return to the office when
they trust their employer has taken
necessary precautions. They value
the office because it offers a way
to separate work and life. Days are
spent on back-to-back Zoom calls,
and despite constant interaction,
they feel disconnected. They missdaily social interactions with theircolleagues — a major reason theycome to the office. Relationships andtheir support system at work makeit easier to navigate challenges.

11The First Wave ofWorkplace Change:
The Hybrid Future
While some headlines suggest the office will
go away as people embrace working fromhome almost exclusively, the research identifies
a more nuanced, hybrid future. Most people
expect to work in the office most of the time,
but they also expect greater flexibility fromtheir organizations going forward.

Steelcase Global Report12Workplace Change

A More Flexible Approach to Work
The global experiment in working from home
has shown it can be part of a viable work policy,
but it requires each organization to consider its
own culture, processes, technology infrastructure
and real estate strategies.
After spending months working from
home, people expect to be allowed
to continue in some capacity. How
often they expect to do it differs
significantly, which means leadersneed to consider what policy isright for individuals, teams and theorganization overall.
The majority of people say they
expect to spend more time working
in the office than at home and do
not expect to work at home everyday. In most countries, the majority
say they expect to work from home
one day a week or less.
People in France and Germany,
which have strong office-based work
cultures, are least likely to expect towork from home. People in India and
Mexico, on the other hand, expect
to work from home more frequently.
A word of caution to leaders inthose countries: Both countries
experienced significant productivity
and engagement drops the longer
people who were dissatisfied
working from home did so, indicating
the need for careful consideration ofwhat work-from-home policy is best.

Steelcase Global Report

The majority ofpeople say they
expect to spend
more time working
in the office thanat home and do
not expect to workat home every day.

Workplace Change

How Often People
Expect to Work
From Home
The majority of people in mostcountries expect to work fromhome one day a week or lesspost-pandemic.
1 day a week or less

Australia
CanadaChina
France

59%

30%

12%

59%

25%

15%

59%

27%

14%

70%

25% 5%

72%

20% 8%

2-3 days a week
4-5 days a week

Germany
Note: Due to rounding, all countries
do not add up to 100%.

Noteworthy: People in France andGermany expect to work from homethe least. People in India expect towork from home the most.

India
MexicoSpain

Steelcase Global Report

39%
43%
53%

35%

27%

38%
33%

20%
14%

United 46%
Kingdom

35%

19%

United 54%
States

26%

20%

14

Workplace Change

Leaders Anticipate More Flexibility
As people expect working from home to be an
option, more organizations are listening andresponding. Early in the pandemic, many leaders
did not see a need to change their policies, but now
87% of leaders around the world say they expect
they will allow more flexibility about where, when andhow people work — which is a 38% increase from
April 2020. More companies in more countries areallowing for the increase of flexible work policies.

87%
63%

April 2020

Steelcase Global Report

38%
Increase in
Flexibility

September 2020

Workplace Change

Leaders Expect More
Flexible Work Policies
China
Responses indicate growth in thenumber of leaders who expect
employees will have more choiceand control to work from homeor elsewhere post-pandemic.

57%
88%

70%

France73%

April 2020
September 2020
Note: Study conducted in only six
countries. Countries not included:
Australia, Canada, Mexico and Spain.

Germany

51%
91%

80%

India

UnitedKingdom

UnitedStatesSteelcase Global Report

90%

66%
98%

62%
85%

16

Workplace Change

The Emerging Hybrid Model
The global experiment in working from home isshifting to become an experiment in hybrid work.
As organizations consider the right approach fortheir people and their culture, predictions thatpeople will work exclusively from home are being
passed over for more flexible options.

23%
In OfficeIn fact, the number of organizations
that expect people will work fromhome exclusively only increased 2%
globally since the beginning of thepandemic. Nearly a quarter of all
businesses will continue to work in
the office as the primary destination,and the majority of organizations willtake a hybrid approach to work, inwhich employees work from homeor a third place, and the office.
Some organizations are considering a
range of options beyond their primary
offices or campuses. Given that thelack of commute is the number one
reason people like working from
home, organizations are beginningto explore options for people to work
closer to their homes, such as satellite
offices or co-working facilities.
Leaders who plan to embrace moreworking from home options in theirorganizations are considering a mixof buying, building, leasing or private
co-working options.

Nearly a quarterof all businesses
will continue towork in the officeas the primarydestination, andthe majority oforganizations
will take a hybrid
approach towork, in which
employees workfrom both home
and the office.

72%v

Hybrid5%Work From Home

Note: Percentages
indicate global averages.

Steelcase Global Report17Workplace Change

Leaders Anticipate
More Hybrid WorkWhen asked in September 2020
what their expectations are for work
post-pandemic, most leaders see
three main approaches — with many
considering a hybrid model in whichsome time is spent in the office andsome at home or a third place.

GlobalChina
FranceIn OfficeHybridGermanyWork From Home
Note: Study conducted in only six
countries. Countries not included:
Australia, Canada, Mexico and Spain.

Noteworthy: Just as people inFrance and Germany are lesslikely to expect to work at home,their leaders agree, saying more
people will work predominantly inthe office. India, China and the UK
are much more likely to embracea hybrid model, with people
working from home more often.

Steelcase Global Report

India

23%

15%
31%

72%

83%

12%

2%

62%

45%

5%

53%
85%

8%
2%
4%

United 20%
Kingdom79%2%

United 23%
States

70%

7%

18

Changing Employee
Expectations
After spending months at home during a crisis,
workers have never been more in touch withwhat they want from their work and workplace.
They have new and increased expectationsof their employers and workplaces — desiring
a dramatically different and better experience
than the one they left.
A synthesis of multiple Steelcase studies
identified five critical employee needs that willchange the overall work experience. Many ofthese were emerging before the pandemic, but
the time spent working from home accelerated
the awareness and importance of each.

Five Critical Elements:
SafetyBelonging
Productivity
ComfortControl

Steelcase Global Report19Changing Employee Expectations

SafetyFor people to feel comfortable returning to the office,they need to both be safe and feel safe. They are
pandemic-aware, and people in every country rate
a new set of safety issues as their top concerns about
returning to the office, with a strong emphasis on
mitigating the spread of disease.
Air quality, the adherence to safety protocols andgeneral cleanliness rank among the most importantsafety considerations. It’s clear people will need tofeel confident that their workplaces are safe and totrust their employers and peers are doing everything
possible to keep them safe before returning.

“I am trying to choose my days to be in
the office. Certain days have more people
present, and I am finding that they don’t
always follow the rules. There gets to bea closeness that makes me feel uneasy…
the more people, the more risk.”
Study Participant

Steelcase Global ReportChanging Employee Expectations

New Health and
Safety Priorities
People were asked what would
make them comfortable returning
to the workplace. They were given
eight factors and asked to rateeach based on how important it
was for their return.
Each factor is ranked per country
with 1 being the most highly ranked
and 8 being the least highly ranked.
1

Most Highly Ranked

2

AU

CA

CN

FR

DE

IN

MX

ES

UK

US

Adherence to
Safety Protocols

1

1

2

1

3

1

1

1

1

2

Air Quality

5

2

4

3

1

2

2

2

3

1

Facility Cleanliness

3

3

1

5

2

4

3

5

2

3

Physical Distancing /Boundaries

2

4

3

2

4

5

4

3

5

4

Visitor Protocols

6

5

5

4

5

3

5

4

6

6

Overall Density of People
Within the Building

4

6

6

6

8

7

7

6

4

5

Safe Access to Foodand Beverages

7

7

7

8

7

6

8

8

8

7

Availabilty of Informal
Gathering Areas

8

8

8

7

6

8

6

7

7

8

3
4
5
6
7
8

Least Highly Ranked

Noteworthy: Air Quality, Adherence
to Safety Protocols and Facility
Cleanliness rank among the mostimportant safety considerations inalmost every country.

Steelcase Global Report21Changing Employee Expectations

Belonging
People have a basic need to belong — it’sfundamentally hardwired in our DNA and somethingpeople were searching for pre-pandemic. At thesame time, the coronavirus has left people feelingextremely isolated, and the need to feel part of acommunity at work has never been more important.
In every country, people rank connection topeople and purpose among the top reasons
for wanting to return to the workplace.
Research measured community —using metrics around purpose,
belonging, resilience, trust andinclusivity­— and identified how
community correlates to theworkplace. Community not only
contributes to people’s wellbeing,
it leads to better businessoutcomes as well. People feelingpart of a community is a top
predictor of higher scores in
productivity, engagement,
innovation and commitment.
Creating community while people
are not able to be together requires
significant effort, and the more
extensively people work from home,
the greater the challenge. People
who worked from home more often
report weaker scores on a varietyof community metrics. The reverseis also true — the less people workfrom home, the higher their senseof community.
The workplace can be designed tohelp foster a sense of community,
and there are three specific attributes
that make a positive impact across all
countries studied: ­­— The office has places whereleaders are present and accessible.
— There are spaces that foster social
interaction and help build a senseof belonging.
— The workplace offers stimulating
and inspiring areas that
promote ideation and creative
problem-solving.

“What I look forward to is having lunchwith my co-workers. I had a group that I
normally ate with. Also, mentorship is very
important to me — so I was consistently
seeking out people to go to coffee with. It’smuch harder to have a Zoom coffee chat.”
Study Participant
Steelcase Global ReportChanging Employee Expectations

Top 5 Reasons People
Want to Return to the
Workplace
People ranked their top five reasons
for wanting to return to the workplaceout of multiple factors.
1

Most Highly Ranked

2

CA

CN

FR

DE

IN

MX

ES

UK

US

Reconnect with Colleagues

1

1

4

1

1

4

2

1

1

1

Reconnection to theOrg. and Shared Purpose

2

5

2

2

5

2

3

2

2

Work in a Quiet,
Professional Environment

4

3

3

4

4

1

Collaborate in Person

3

2

5

Access to Tools
and Technology

5

4

Access to Paperand Files

3
4
5

AU

Least Highly Ranked

Work in a Larger Settingwith More Diverse Spaces
Connection or Visibility
to Leadership
Want a Change in
Scenery

Steelcase Global Report

3

1

5

4

4

5

3

3

5

3
3

4

4
2

5

5

1
2

3
5

23

Changing Employee Expectations

Productivity
People want to feel that what they do is meaningful,and this has been amplified during the crisis asorganizations have needed to respond to dramaticallychanging business conditions.
Pre-pandemic, people struggled
in offices if they didn’t have the rightlevels of privacy to allow them to
do focused work. Now, there’s a lotof conjecture that people will comeback to the office solely for group
activities and collaboration. But thedata show employees and leaders
want workplaces to support
individual focus work as wellas collaboration.
Creative work, solving complex
problems and innovation all require
an ebb and flow between “me”
and “we” work, which means theworkplace has to provide spaces forboth that make it easy to transition
between the different work modes.
Employees, more so than leadersin many countries, express a needfor the office to provide places tofocus, potentially because theirhome environments are less likely tobe the same size or have the sameamenities, such as a desk, ergonomic
chair and secondary monitor, as most
executives have in their homes.

“I don’t feel like
we get into theinsights we want
working remotely.
It’s very hard tocommunicate
organically. If
you’re physicallyin a room, you
can write stuff
down and readpeople’s bodylanguage better.
I find we end up
just skimming thesurface (working
from home).”Study Participant

Steelcase Global ReportChanging Employee Expectations

What People Want
Most in Their Office
Going Forward
People ranked the five mostimportant elements the workplaceshould provide when they return.
Noteworthy: Only France andSpain fail to list Focus in the top
five. Researchers point to the factthat people in Spain felt moreisolated than in any other country
while working from home and that
lockdown measures in France were
extreme, causing both countries
to consider connecting with others
most important.
Australia Leaders: Rejuvenation,
Access to Tools and Ability to
Schedule Spaces were also tied with
Focus, Socialization, Host Clientsand Workplace Culture.
Canada Leaders: Range of Spaces
and Hosting Clients also tied withSocialization, Learning and Focus.
France Leaders: Rejuvenationand Workplace Belonging werealso tied with Team Belonging
and Collaboration.

Australia
Employees

Leaders

1

Collaboration

1

Learning

2

Team Belonging

2

Focus

3

Access to Tools

3Socialization

4

Workplace Culture

4

Host Clients

5

Focus

5

Workplace Culture

CanadaEmployees

Leaders

1

Collaboration

1

Collaboration

2

Team Belonging

2

Access to Tools

3

Focus

3

Socialization

4

Access to Tools

4

Learning

5

Workplace Belonging

5

Focus

China
Employees

Leaders

1

Collaboration

1

Collaboration

2

Socialization2

Career Development

3

Rejuvenation

3

Learning

4

Focus

4

Socialization

5

Access to Tools

5

Access to Tools

FranceEmployees

Steelcase Global Report

Leaders

1

Collaboration

1

Socialization

2

Socialization

2

Expand, Foster Network

3

Access to Tools

3

Host Clients

4

Team Belonging

4

Team Belonging

5

Host Clients5

Collaboration25

Changing Employee Expectations

What People Want
Most in Their Office
Going Forward(continued)

Germany
Employees

Leaders

1

Socialization

1

Career Development

2

Collaboration

2

Team Belonging

People ranked the five mostimportant elements the workplaceshould provide when they return.

3

Access to Tools

3

Access to Tools

4

Focus

4

Expand, Foster Network

Noteworthy:
Germany Leaders: Learning,
Workplace Belonging and Range
of Inspiring Spaces all tied with
Expand, Foster Network and Focus.

5Team Belonging

5

Focus

Spain Leaders: Socialization tiedwith Learning and Collaboration.

India
Employees

Leaders

1

Learning

1

Collaboration

2

Collaboration

2

Access to Tools

3

Access to Tools

3

Learning

4

Workplace Culture

4Team Belonging

5

Career Development

5

Career Development

MexicoEmployees

Leaders

1

Learning

1

Career Development

2

Collaboration

2

Access to Tools

3

Access to Tools

3

Expand, Foster Network

4

Career Development

4Team Belonging

5

Host Clients5

Host Clients

Spain
Employees

Steelcase Global Report

Leaders

1

Collaboration

1

Host Clients

2

Socialization

2

Access to Tools

3

Access to Tools

3

Team Belonging

4

Learning

4

Learning

5

Host Clients5

Collaboration

26

Changing Employee Expectations

What People Want
Most in Their Office
Going Forward(continued)

United Kingdom
Employees

Leaders

1

Team Belonging

1

Career Development

2

Collaboration

2

Socialization

People ranked the five mostimportant elements the workplaceshould provide when they return.

3

Access to Tools

3

Team Belonging

4

Focus

4

Workplace Culture

Noteworthy:
United Kingdom Leaders: Learning,a Range of Inspiring Workspaces,
Workplace Belonging, Host Clientsand Access to Tools were tiedwith Collaboration.

5

Workplace Culture

5

Collaboration

Steelcase Global Report

United States
Employees

Leaders

1

Collaboration

1

Collaboration

2

Access to Tools

2

Host Clients

3

Focus

3

Expand, Foster Network

4

Team Belonging

4

Focus

5

Workplace Belonging

5

Socialization27

Changing Employee Expectations

Comfort
People are more deeply aware of their physical,
cognitive and emotional needs for comfort andwellbeing, and they expect organizations toaddress them when they return to the office.
Those who have been comfortable at home, whether
it be because they enjoyed a more relaxedenvironment or had created a space to work that fits
their preferences, want that to continue in the office.
Those who’ve been uncomfortable working from home
are looking forward to an office designed holisticallyto support their comfort. They are now more acutely
aware of their physical aches and pains after working
from sofas, kitchen counters and even beds at home.
Ergonomic discomfort was a top
issue that people in most countries
said hurt their ability to get work done
at home. Cognitive and emotional
issues like distractions, caring forothers, and problems with technology
and tools that made work moredifficult were major concerns across
many countries as well.
Cognitively, nine of 10 countries ranka “quiet, professional environment”
in their top five reasons for wanting
to return to the workplace. Noise,
visual distractions or even the lureof household chores are consistent
challenges when working from home.
Emotionally, one of the most important
things people want the organization
to provide when they return to theworkplace is an increased sense of
belonging to their team, a connection
to the company culture and the ability
to socialize. Germany, France, Spain
and China all ranked socialization
especially high, possibly due torigorous restrictions around social
gatherings throughout the pandemic.

Steelcase Global Report“Everything felt very
temporary until it
didn’t. My standing
table, my foldable
table, felt OK until
it was a month anda half in and myback was killing me.
My barstool felt OK
until I realized I washunched over all
day and I neededa different solution.”
Study Participant

Changing Employee Expectations

What Hurts
Productivity at Home
People were asked to pick the
top three things that negatively
impacted their productivity whileworking from home.
Noteworthy:
In Canada, tied for third: Setting
Up and Changing My Work
Environment, Noise Distractions
and Visual Distractions
In India, tied for third: Setting Up
and Changing My Work Environment

Australia
1

Ergonomic Discomfort

1

Caring for Others

2Technology + Tools Issues

2

Technology + Tools Issues

3

Noise Distractions

3

Noise Distractions

CanadaMexico1Ergonomic Discomfort

1

Noise Distractions

2

Technology + Tools Issues

2

Visual Distractions

3

Caring for Others

3

Caring for Others

China

Spain

1

Technology + Tools Issues

1Ergonomic Discomfort/
Caring For Others (tied)2

Setting Up and Changing
My Work Environment

2

Setting Up and Changing
My Work Environment

3

Caring for Others

3

Noise Distractions

FranceUnited Kingdom

1

Technology + Tools Issues

1Ergonomic Discomfort

2

Ergonomic Discomfort

2

Setting Up and Changing
My Work Environment

3

Caring for Others

3

Visual Distractions

Germany

Steelcase Global Report

India

United States

1

Ergonomic Discomfort

1

Caring for Others

2

Noise Distractions

2

Technology + Tools Issues

3

Setting Up and Changing
My Work Environment

3

Setting Up and Changing
My Work Environment

29

Changing Employee Expectations

Control
While being at home all day has its drawbacks, many
people feel they have more control navigating their
day at home than they do in the office. They are free
to choose if they work from a dedicated office or siton the sofa or outside, and they often have morechoice to integrate aspects of their personal lives
throughout their day, such as exercising or interactingwith family, friends or pets.
In addition to no commute, another aspect of working
from home that is highly rated by most participants
is increased flexibility. They also feel their work-lifebalance and level of autonomy improves.
Moving forward, people will want the same levelof control over their work lives that they have athome — control over where they work and theirenvironment in the office.

Steelcase Global ReportChanging Employee Expectations

Control (continued)
Organizations are listening toemployees’ increased desire to havemore control over where they work.
Eighty-seven percent of global
leaders agree they will offer morechoice and control for employees
to work from home or elsewhere
post-COVID. That’s an increase of
38% from April to September 2020,
indicating leaders are paying more
attention to what employees want.
In addition to location, people inevery country enjoy having accessto a range of spaces at home (suchas a couch, desk, table and theoutdoors) and want diverse optionsin the office. This is especiallytrue in China and Mexico, where
employees particularly appear
to value alternatives to working
at a desk and chair all day long.

with assigned workstations spend
70% of their time at their desk. They
value a standing-height desk, butthey want more ways to move andachieve a variety of postures.
In another study, 54% of people
said they want to be able toreconfigure their furniture, but only
38% can. This impacts people’s
physical, cognitive and emotionalcomfort — neuroscience has founda well-established relationshipbetween physical activity, creativity
and learning.
The ability to move desks,
technology or boundaries can help
give people the visual and territorial
privacy they need to focus. And
with the pandemic in mind, people
want to control their proximity
to other people as well.

Other research conducted in the US
before the pandemic underscoresthat people want more control within
their work area. Two-thirds of people“The thought of sitting in another beige
cubicle staring at a grey wall is like a gut
punch. When you do that for eight or nine
hours a day, five days a week, it’s reallydreary. I’d rather look out the window next
to my nice big couch with a dog on my lap.”
Study Participant

Steelcase Global Report

In the Office54%
of people want to beable to reconfigure
their furniture

Yet, only38%
of people reportbeing able to do soChanging Employee Expectations

People Expect MoreControl After Working
From HomeIn every country people ranked
autonomy and work-life balance asthings that improved while working
from home. Going forward, they
will expect more control over where
and how they work. Percentages
indicate the number of people who
said these factors moderately or
significantly improved.

Australia

Canada

56%
43%

56%
36%

69%

China

63%

Work-life Balance
Autonomy

FranceNoteworthy: While almost every
country ranked work-life balance
and autonomy as their two biggest
improvements, India and Mexico
also included the ability to innovatein their top three.

45%
39%

61%

Germany
45%

65%

India

59%

60%

Mexico

62%

54%

Spain

UnitedKingdom

UnitedStatesSteelcase Global Report

50%

61%
44%

56%
44%

32

Four Macro Shifts
Organizations
Need to Address
Design for Safety
Design for Productivity
Design to Inspire Community
Design for Flexibility

People’s experiences during the pandemic
have caused new and heightened expectations
that organizations will need to understandand address when their employees returnto the workplace. Prior to the pandemic,
expectations had already begun to change,
and the crisis has accelerated the needto create better workplaces. The synthesisof Steelcase research identified four macro
shifts leaders will need to embrace to create
safe and compelling places where people
can be engaged and productive.

Steelcase Global Report33Four Macro Shifts

Design for Safety
It’s clear from the research that people's mostpressing concerns about returning to the office
are about safety. Employees will need to feel theiremployer is doing everything possible to keep themsafe. To be inclusive, organizations will need aholistic safety strategy that considers everyone’s
safety, regardless of age, abilities or health issues.

Pre-pandemic, when organizations
addressed safety in the workplace,
their focus was primarily on
occupational health and safety
standards. Now, they will needto take a multifaceted, systemic
approach that prioritizes mitigating
the spread of disease. This will
require well-documented behavioral
protocols, such as mask wearing andsocial distancing. It will also requireorganizations to understand how
airborne viruses move through anoffice environment and what happens
when exhalations from breathing,talking or laughing encounter different
structures and materials.
Even after a vaccine becomes widely
available, by addressing these newsafety elements organizations will bebetter prepared for any future crises.
This growing awareness of
disease transmission will fuel anongoing demand for workplaces tohelp detect, prevent and mitigate
the spread of illnesses while also
creating an inspiring environment
where people will want to work.

Steelcase Global Report34Four Macro Shifts

New safety elements organizations
should consider:
Air quality
HVAC systems will need to consider
more than just temperature. They
will also need to control humidity,
filtration, air dilution and air
movement. When weather permits,organizations should consider the
addition of high-performing outdoor
spaces for focus and collaboration,and not just socialization, in addition
to helping to reduce risk.
Density
New criteria for density should
be adhered to. Flexible floorplans
can meet the density requirements
during the pandemic and then be
adjusted post pandemic, as density
requirements change.

Sanitation
Make cleaning highly visible so
employees are assured that spaces
are being cleaned regularly. Make
cleaning wipes and sanitizer
accessible to everyone everywhere,
and ask employees to clean before
and after using shared spaces. Asa reminder, use signage to promotepersonal hygiene.
Sensors
Use sensor technology to better
understand and control occupancy,
cleaning frequency and see where,
when and how often spaces arebeing utilized.

Hands-free
Introduce hands-free devices
wherever possible (doors, faucets,room scheduling, etc.).
Feeling safe
Make efforts visible to give people
confidence everything is being done
to prevent exposure to disease.
Also, give people more control overtheir space, including individual
physical boundaries, so they canmake personal choices about where
they feel most safe.

Geometry
Desking should be reconfigured
to reduce face-to-face orientation
where there are no barriers.
Division
If distancing is not possible,
research indicates workstation
screens measurably reduce therange of forward projection ofpathogens and can be a viable
part of a safety strategy. Use hardor fabric barriers in locations where
forward projection of exhalations
are most likely.
Materiality
Cleanability and safety concerns
are new performance criteria formateriality. Pure or engineeredmaterials that allow for cleaning anddisinfection without degrading overtime will become the new standard,
as will smooth surfaces that areeasy to clean and fabrics that can
be cleaned or washed and don’t
degrade with continuous cleaning.
But keep in mind, many materials areavailable that offer both cleanability
and inspiration and don’t create
a sterile environment.

Steelcase Global Report35Four Macro Shifts

Design for Productivity
Pre-pandemic, manyorganizations focused
primarily on efficiency
when planning theiroffices and designed
spaces for single
purposes and modes ofwork. In addition, someopen plan offices wereheavily criticized for notsupporting people’s
need for focus. Moving
forward, organizations
will benefit from creating
multimodal spaces that
support collaborationand focus work equally.

The workplace can’t simply be asocial hub that brings people together
with the expectation that individual
work will happen at home. Researchtells us this is not an inclusive strategy
since many people struggle to focus
at home. It must provide places
where people can work together, as
well as places where they can do
individual, focused work.
To meet the needs of all types
of work, the workplace willneed to support:
In-person collaboration
People need high-performing spacesthat provide access to the tools andtechnology they need to collaborate
effectively. They also need to be able
to quickly switch between individualand group tasks. It’s the ebb and flow
between these two modes of workthat results in innovation.

Virtual collaboration
The need to accommodate remoteparticipation will become the norm,
as people travel less and someteam members continue to workfrom home regularly. People willneed access to personal spacesthat minimize disruptions fromvideo meetings and large-scalecollaboration devices to allow for
more natural and equal participation.
Privacy
Prior to the pandemic, people werevery vocal about the lack of privacy inopen plan offices. While working fromhome has given some people theprivacy they desperately needed to
get work done, others have continued
to struggle —­ unable to get awayfrom other activities happening intheir home. The workplace will need toprovide individual and group spaces
where people can control visual,
acoustical and territorial privacy.
Movement
Studies prove movement enhances
creative ideation and allows formore equal participation. Whenpeople can physically move aroundin collaboration spaces and havethe ability to move tools such as
whiteboards, tackable boards ordigital devices, they are better able
to solve complex problems.

Steelcase Global Report36Four Macro Shifts

Design to Inspire Community
For many years, organizations have realized thepower an aesthetically pleasing workplace can haveto attract and retain talent. But moving forward,
the workplace will also need to do a better job at
inspiring people and building a strong community.
It will have to provide the touches of humanity
and warmth people are seeking to counter safety
precautions organizations have needed to deploy.
Working from home has been
an isolating and lonely experience
for many people, and the needfor community has never been
more critical.
According to the research, people
say the top two reasons they want
to return to the office is to see work
friends and interact with teammates,
citing video meetings are notenough to overcome lonelinessand isolation. They also want theworkplace to help them feel a senseof belonging and give them accessto a range of inspiring workspaces.
Organizations will need torethink the purpose of the officefrom simply a place to work to
becoming the infrastructure
for building social capital andfostering a sense of purposeand belonging.

Steelcase Global Report37Four Macro Shifts

Spaces will have to be designed
to support:
Vitality
While design elements will haveto respect physical distancing
requirements, the overall vibe andatmosphere of the workplaceneeds to create positive energy
and be vibrant.
Inclusivity
The workplace will need toconsider people’s diverse needs
and workstyles (physical,
neurodiverse, introvert vs. extrovert,etc.), as well as support distributed
work, as more people have theability to work remotely.
Trust
Communication between employees
and leaders has never been morecritical. The workplace will need tofoster transparency and make leadersmore visible and accessible.
Resilience
Workplaces will need to communicate
to people that change andadaptation are key elements of theirorganization’s culture and they are
ready to adapt to any future crises.
Environmental and social impact
People want to feel their organization
shares their values. Commitments
to the environment, a belief in social
responsibility and support of strong
governance principles (ESG) will
impact priorities and actions.

Steelcase Global Report38Four Macro Shifts

Design for Flexibility
The pre-pandemic office was based on long-standing
paradigms with spaces that were mostly fixedand designed for permanence. But this approachis problematic; these spaces cannot adapt easily
when conditions change, such as when a pandemic
happens or new ways of working emerge.

Going forward, organizations needto design spaces that can be easily
adapted, especially as more flexible
work policies are implemented.
The workplace must be designed toprovide individuals and teams greater
control over their environment sothey can change it on demand.
When people return to the office,they will expect greater control, morechoices, and access to the right tools
and technology that will help thembe more engaged and productive.
To allow for greater flexibility,
the workplace will need to be:
Multi-use
Flexible architectural elements,
rather than permanent walls, allowbuilding interiors to support agreater variety of uses.
Multimodal
Maximize real estate by designingspaces to support more than
one mode of work. For example,
a cafe can also become a highperformance collaboration space
and a training room can betransformed into a meeting spacefor large team functions.
MovableFurnishings that easily move, suchas mobile whiteboards, digital
displays, freestanding privacy
screens, and tables or desks oncasters allow spaces to expand andcontract to support distancing andaccommodate individuals andgroups of all sizes.

Steelcase Global Report39Designing a Better Work Experience
When we consider
what people need, andhow the work experienceis shifting moving
forward — old planningparadigms will needto change. Before thepandemic, designers
were asked to create
spaces that attracted thebest talent, supported
greater collaboration andmaximized efficiency —now they’ll need tosolve for an even morediverse set of needs.
Steelcase designers
have identified a new
set of design principles
to create safe andcompelling environmentsthat will provide a better
work experience. A
new workplace design
approach will include
these principles:

Me + We

Fixed to Fluid

The workplace needs to equally
support the need for teamwork(“we”) and the needs of individual(“me”) work, recognizing that bothmodes of work are critical to thecreative process.

Offices have historically been built
for permanence, with architectureand furnishings that are fixed anddifficult to change. To be more
resilient, spaces will be designed
for greater flexibility and mobility.

Open + Enclosed

Braiding Digital + Physical

People who often did individual
work in more dense, open spaces
desire more enclosure or shielding
to control privacy and safety. Teams
who frequently worked in enclosed
conference rooms will want more
options for open settings both fora sense of safety and flexibility.

Teams will need spaces andtechnology to create inclusive
experiences for remote andphysically present team members.
Smart, sensing technologies need
to be embedded in the infrastructure
to support increasingly data-driven
and AI-driven experiences.

To learn more about how to create spacesthat support a better work experience, visit
better.steelcase.com.
Steelcase Global Report40

Our Commitment
Steelcase is committed to continuingresearch to understand what’s next
and share what we’re learning to
inform new products, solutions andinnovations that will help organizations
create a better workplace.

We Can Help
Steelcase and our industry-leading
dealer network provide in-depth
research, expertise, quality products
and reliable service that have madeus a proven, trusted partner to leadingorganizations for over 100 years.
Contact us to get started on a better
work experience.
steelcase.com/we-can-help

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