Only 30% of firms in US, Europe to embrace full office return

As offices set to reopen after the pandemic and vaccination drive, only 30 per cent of companies in the US and Europe will embrace a full return-to-office model, according to a new report.

While many business leaders are drawn to vaccine passports as a solution to bring their workforces back to the office full-time, global market research firm Forrester predicts that 70 per cent of US and European companies will pivot to a hybrid work model post-pandemic.

Microsoft and Google have already laid out detailed plans for a hybrid workplace.

"By shifting conversations to focus on the working environments that best suit employees' needs moving forward, organisations can ensure that their employees feel they are being heard and that they have the autonomy and tools to do their jobs effectively," said Keith Johnston, VP and group research director at Forrester.

In a hybrid model setup, at least some employees can work anywhere they want for two or more days a week while coming into the office on the remaining workdays.

According to Forrester, 55 per cent of US employees say they hope to work from home more often, even after the pandemic ends.

"Nearly 47 per cent of US workers and 54 per cent of European workers believe vaccines will not completely stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus," the findings showed.

Only 39 per cent of US workers and 34 per cent of European workers feel that their employers have a plan in place to provide vaccination.

"Two-thirds of workers in both regions are not comfortable with employers collecting their personal data specific to the pandemic," the report showed.