A Changing Landscape of Workplaces – Perceptions on Work Environments by Different Management-Levels within the DACH-Region

Abstract

Covid-19 changed how we work dramatically: employees and companies recognized the advantages and disadvantages of work environments at home and at the office. Companies, therefore, need to react and define the optimal mix of office- and working-from-home-days. This contribution aims to set light on observations of different management levels about the future of workplace management. The planned usage of traditional office space versus coworking and remote alternatives has an increasing an impact to a company's competitiveness and the company's long-term rental or office space strategies. The “largest field study about home office” triggered by the pandemic and the requirement to close the offices entirely led to a mindset change. Employees recognized advantages like less commuting time, more flexibility etc. On the other side, companies realized advantages but also many disadvantages like less binding, more fluctuation of workforce etc. Now that the pandemic has subsided, organizations focus on returning people to the office. Therefore, modern workspaces, including co-working/serviced offices and activity-based-working models, and the support of telework infrastructure provided by the company regained importance, especially within the past three years. The researchers aim was to analyze the goals and strategic actions of different management levels regarding workplace management and the planned mix of work at the office and from home by questioning three different managers from top-, middle- and lower-management. All three management levels have different observations of decisions regarding the company's workplace management strategies and how employees are managed. While top management prefers the usage of a headquarter, middle management recognized the need for satellite offices, especially to get and keep qualified workforces. The results revealed that traditional office space is expected to be reduced, and that hybrid offices will be part of future solutions. The Covid-19 pandemic enormously impacted how we work. Due to the newness of the developments, empirical studies don’t show long-term observations. They mainly provide snapshots of the existing situation. In addition, most of the existing surveys are from consulting companies, which are only sometimes scientifically validated. Comparing similar surveys before, during and after the outbreak of the pandemic allows not only for a comparison of the data but to give an outlook of future workplace management development.