CREJ

Page 24 — Office Properties Quarterly — September 2020 www.crej.com Workplace Trends or strongly agree they are collaborating effectively with colleagues (compared with 75% of global respondents). • 46% of Colorado respondents agree or strongly agree they are connecting with colleagues (compared with 56% of global respondents). • 59% of Colorado respondents agree they are learning in the current envi- ronment (compared with 64% of global respondents). •While 70% of Colorado respon- dents reported feeling pride in working for their company, only 41% agree or strongly agree they feel personally con- nected to company culture (compared with the global average of 55%). Overall, productivity has been main- tained when compared to prepandemic data, however, connections to colleagues and the company culture as well as the ability to grow and learn are all strug- gling compared to pre-COVID-19. Sub- par connectivity at home was the most commonly cited challenge, with 34% of respondents raising this as an issue. In addition to the above data show- ing opportunities for improvement for employers, our survey results tell a broader story of how the various generations in the workforce are man- aging during this COVID-19-induced work-from-home environment. Across all survey categories (which included touchpoints ranging fromwell-being to company culture as well as employee experience) the baby boomer generation consistently scored highest in terms of experience and engagement, while mil- lennials consistently scored lowest. At first glance this seems counter- intuitive, as the millennial generation has been a key driver for companies to expand their work from home and flexible work options. So why is this generation struggling the most during this time of expanded work from home? Only 55% of baby boomers reported work- from-home chal- lenges, compared to approximately 70% of Gen Z and millennial respondents. Mil- lennials are more inclined to have multiple work-from- home challenges, frequently reporting inadequate home workspace as well as additional caregiver responsibilities as hindrances to their ability to effectively work from home.These, in turn, affect the overall productivity, employee expe- rience and employee engagement of this population. All generations struggle with well- being and taking “time away from work,” but this was especially true for millennials and this highlights a future risk. Many companies are pleased to see their people being so productive work- ing from home, but the most successful employers are mindful of the impor- tance for recharging and are actively encouraging employees to make use of their paid time off to avoid burn-out. Given what we know about the broad- er work-from-home experience for vari- ous generations, employers should be mindful that nearly 40% of Colorado’s participating workforce is comprised of millennials (25- to 39-year-olds). Genera- tion X comprises 34% of the workforce (63% of whom report work-from-home challenges, namely caregiver responsi- bilities). Baby boomers, the generation most content with the current work- from-home situation, comprise a mere 18% of our Colorado workforce. There were several promising findings from the survey worth noting. About 91% of Colorado respondents have a very clear or extremely clear under- standing of what is expected of them when working remotely, and the “Man- ager Trust” index for Coloradans was an index score of 91.2, indicating that employees feel trusted by their manage- ment to carry out their remote work. These local results are aligned with our global findings for these questions. Despite the work-from-home chal- lenges reported, 75% of Colorado respondents agreed or strongly agreed their company should implement or expand the work-from-home policy (compared with 73% for the global aver- age). n Conclusion. Based on our analysis of XSF and XSF@home survey results, we find that Colorado respondents faced more challenges while working from home, and this likely is due to the large percentage of millennial and Gen X in our workforce. Employers that effectively support their employees and colleagues while working from home yield increased employee engagement, productivity and retention of their top talent. Given the strong penchant across geographies and demographics to continue expanding work-from-home programs, we anticipate that 50% of the workforce likely will be working across a “total workplace ecosystem” balancing office, home and third places. The office still has an important purpose to promote collaboration and company culture, but it is shifting away from being one singular place where all work occurs and rather is becoming a combination of spaces supporting the individual needs of employees and their specific job functions. Nowwork will happen wherever your talent can sell, innovate and collaborate.This new eco- system of spaces will serve as the physi- cal manifestation of your company’s culture. s Continued from Page 1 Cushman & Wakefield Cushman & Wakefield