Future of Work Roundup - Week of September 12

Welcome to the Future of Work Roundup. Each week, we bring you five top stories—drawing from the latest academic research and industry trends—to give you an easily-digestible snapshot of how work is changing—and why it matters.

Take the RTO Survey!

Many companies—even remote-first ones— are in the midst of their "return to office" (RTO) and inviting workers back to the office. Regardless of whether your company plans to be fully remote, mostly on-site, or somewhere in between, it's important to understand this transition. We'd love you to answer this 5-minute survey to share your RTO experiences. We'll analyze the results and report back on what's working and what's not with RTO.

A sea change in office space layouts

A new report by Jones Lang LaSalle detailed a notable shift in office spaces becoming more open and collaborative. An eye-popping 73% of corporate real estate decision makers are planning to make all office spaces open and collaborative, with no dedicated desk spaces.

Ruder workplaces

The Wall Street Journal reported that workplaces are getting ruder. Workers are cursing more, shaking hands less, failing to respond promptly to emails and texts, and quitting their jobs on shorter notice. Is the pandemic to blame for this rise—or something else?

Employees as active  in organizational change

A new work trends report finds that the employees are becoming more involved in their organizations’ change initiatives—especially at top companies. 83% of top employers are now involving their employees in the design of their organization and work—a notable uptick from 77% a year prior.

A shift towards skill-based hiring

The World Economic Forum reported that companies are shifting more towards hiring for skills, rather than for potential. This shift has been driven by the greater need for efficiency and the heightened pressure facing businesses to deliver shorter-term results.

The rise of “bleisure”

The Wall Street Journal reported on the rise of “bleisure,” where employees combine business with leisure. While it seems tempting to tack vacation travel onto a work trip, bleisure-ers should beware that most companies don’t yet have formal rules for adding vacation travel to a work trip.

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for next week’s Future of Work roundup.