Connecting with the Workforce
Kantar Profiles has conducted an online survey globally, exploring sentiments towards new ways of working, the impact of economic instability, and more.
Connecting with the Workforce
Global findings on sentiments towards new ways of working, the impact of economic instability, and more.
Community Report
Kantar Profiles
February 2023
Community Report Overview
Use the "read on" button below to immerse into each chapter of the report.
Community Report Overview
The global workforce has undergone serious change over the past several years. The boom of remote working due to the pandemic followed by the push for employees to return to offices and economic uncertainty driving layoffs across industries has further driven fundamental changes in the ways people approach their professional lives.
Employees now find themselves pursuing multiple income streams with side jobs, managing expectations to work beyond parameters of job descriptions and face challenges like managing virtual meetings while in a physical office.
Using responses from 10,055 online respondents from the Kantar Profiles Audience Network across ten global markets (including Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UK and US), this study sets out to explore how sentiments have changed over the past year, the positive and negative aspects of these changes for the employee and company, and the impact of anticipated future trends.
It also explores new topical workplace themes like the impact of “bossware,” “quiet quitting,” and the “gig economy,” and how experimenting with things like a 4-day workweek could influence employee job satisfaction.
Explore our findings here on:
Sentiments towards hybrid working
New ways of working
The economic impact
The post pandemic onsite workplace
Methodology
This research was conducted online using 10,055 respondents sourced from the Kantar Profiles Audience Network across 10 global markets: US (1,019), Brazil (1,000), UK (1,001), Germany (1,000), France (1,019), Spain (1,000), China (1,000), India (1,015), Singapore (1,000) and South Africa (1,001).
All interviews were conducted as online self-completion between December 13, 2022 - January 6, 2023 and collected based on controlled quotas evenly distributed between generations and gender by country.
Respondents were reported to be full or part-time employees whose job function could be performed remotely at least part-time.
Some data was additionally collected on unemployed or freelance workers, to understand the impact of layoffs and alternative ways of working.
A total of 2,083 on-site only, 2,661 remote-only and 3,978 hybrid worker responses were collected across a range of industries and job functions.
Gen-Z was identified as ages 18-24, Millennials ages 25-39, Gen-X ages 40-55, and Boomers ages 56-75.
1. Sentiments Towards Hybrid & Remote Working
Click below to explore how remote-work policies have changed, and the impact it has on job satisfaction and the willingness to stay or look for new employment.
Globally, 76% of workers still work remotely or hybrid vs fully onsite today.
More Brazilian and South African employees have headed back in person, while US and India maintain the highest proportion of remote-only workers.
On average, if given a choice, workers would spend 55% of their time remote; a 7% decrease from 2022.
As companies require more employees to have in-office presence, all generations are spending less time working remotely compared to last year. However, their ideal workweek also includes more on-site time this year versus last year across generations.
50% of the workforce would seek new employment if their remote work policy changes.
Half of workers report a change in their company's remote working policies in the past year, and 76% are satisfied with policies as they stand today. Still, 50% would look for new employment if that policy changed.
Choice Matters
Remote and hybrid workers are significantly more satisfied with their company's remote working policies when given a choice in workplace.
Workers required to be onsite are much less satisfied about company policy than those given the opportunity to choose.
Only 61% of the workforce would be willing to accept a fully on-site job; a 8% decrease from 2022.
If policies were to change, workers are split on its influence in seeking new employment. However, all generations are less likely to accept a new role that is 100% in-office, compared to last year.
By country, willingness to accept a role that is 100% in-office declined from last year, aside from China and India, which increased.
64% of workers say they work remotely the same or more than last year.
For those working remotely more frequently, half (51%) cite they aren't required in the office - the most common reason why. Similarly, those working remotely less frequently cite on-site requirements as their most common reason (53%).
Fully remote workers report to working longer hours 14% more than hybrid or fully on-site workers.
Remote workers report working longer, later and earlier hours than those who work onsite or hybrid. These figures have grown for remote workers from last year.
Traveling for internal or client meetings has also increased for remote workers, likely since they are at-home 100% of the time.
70% of employees agree hybrid working creates more positives for employees.
Ease in managing home or personal life and a reduction in daily commutes top the list.
Only 4% of employees agree hybrid working creates more negatives for employees.
This was consistent with what workers reported in 2022: 5% said they felt there were negatives for the employee, and cited work/life balance and distractions as the most common reasons why.
40% of Gen-Z workers want more focus put on professional growth in hybrid environments versus 27% of Boomers.
The top 3 areas the workforce feels employers should focus on with a hybrid workforce are benefits for home offices (36%), employee growth (35%), and monetary compensation (28%). This is consistent with their sentiments last year, 39%, 30%, and 26% respectively.
However, younger workers, at more pivotal points in their careers, want employers to put specific focus on professional growth in remote environments more than older generations.
2. New Ways of Working
Click below to explore sentiments toward new employment trends like the 4-day workweek, quiet quitting and “bossware”
Gen-Z are 2x more likely to consider engaging in a job search, compared to Boomers
While over half of the workforce is considering new employment, it's the younger generations who are considering a move.
56% of workers feel they are doing more work than is expected in their role; 41% do exactly as expected.
Remote workers more often work beyond the parameters of their job description than those who are required to be onsite
40% of the workforce feel new challenges make work meaningful to them.
Younger generations are more focused on building professional reputation and wealth, while older workers value new challenges and learning opportunities in the workplace.
The 4-day workweek concept is favoured by most workers globally, and 65% say they could do it today.
1 in 3 remote or hybrid workers don't feel trusted by employers when “bossware” is used.
While 1 out of 3 agree with a positive statement, nearly 3 out of 5 remote and hybrid workers are skeptical of “bossware”, and cite trust and insecurities about being “watched” when asked about the use of workplace surveillance tools.
Negative sentiments are more common for those not working with “bossware” than for those who do. 42% of those working with “bossware” agree with a negative statement, versus 71% for those who don't or are not sure.
3. The Economic Impact
Click below to see how the global economy is influencing employee and employer behaviours.
Nearly half of the workforce is worried their company may need to cut costs and layoff employees.
Remote workers are significantly more concerned about the safety of their jobs than those who are onsite.
57% of global workers engage in the “gig economy,” or would consider it, primarily to bring in extra money to support finance needs.
Of those who work multiple jobs, 80% have two jobs.
50% of global workers have reduced their spending as result of the economic climate.
Across the globe, the workforce is changing behaviours to save financially. South African, Brazilian and Asian workers are more likely to find additional income streams than US and European workers.
47% of Millennials are reducing their spending, but only 26% are delaying big purchases.
Boomers are most likely to reduce spending (54%), while Millennials pursue additional streams of income (42%). Gen Z are least likely to delay big investments (22%).
Globally, 27% of workers are buying lunch more than they were a year ago.
When we asked this in 2022, only 19% of hybrid workers reported to buying lunch more than they were the year prior.
In 2023, remote and hybrid workers are doing more in-person actions (like shopping in-stores, buying coffee or lunch) around their workday than they were a year ago compared to those who are on-site full-time.
Shopping online continues to become more prevalent among remote and hybrid workers.
21% of workers are shopping in-store before or after work less than they were a year ago.
More hybrid workers reported to a decline in these spending habits when we asked in 2022, compared to when we asked the workforce in 2023.
4. The Post Pandemic Onsite Workplace
Click below to see how offices are changing as more companies require a return to in-person work.
24% of workers are on-site, either required or by choice.
Those with Marketing, PR & Communications roles are least likely to be on-site.
69% of office workers say that a quiet place to do their work is most important while on-site.
5 out of 6 global workers agree their offices are “fit for purpose”.
Companies maintain assigned workspaces, however, more hybrid workers report “hot desk” environments.
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What did you find most interesting from this report?
- Satisfaction with remote policies
- Ideal % of the workweek spent remote
- Workforce engaging in the “gig economy”
- Quiet quitting insights
- 4 day workweek potential
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