Most Hong Kong workers do not want to return to office after working from home, poll finds
- 60 per cent of city staff do not want to return to their desks after Covid-19 home working, a higher rate than in Singapore, UK and US
- Expert says problems caused by bosses taking care of business, but employees concentrating on well-being
Hong Kong employees are more reluctant to return to the office than those in Singapore and some major Western countries after working from home became common during the Covid-19 pandemic, an international survey has found.
The poll by Unispace, a global office design consultancy, found that 60 per cent of city employees were reluctant to go back to the daily grind.
The figure was higher than the 58 per cent recorded in the UK, 54 per cent in Singapore, 43 per cent in the US and the worldwide average of 51 per cent.
About 69 per cent of Hong Kong respondents said they struggled to get work done in their offices because of distractions and the number of meetings, which tied with India for the highest score in the world.
A total of 29 per cent said they had greater privacy at home, and more than a quarter – 26 per cent – maintained they felt more effective working away from their offices.
“These dislikes are largely misunderstood by employers, who view employees’ main barriers to returning to the workplace as people not wanting to travel, 21 per cent, or being unhappy about carrying their work equipment – such as laptops – between the office and home, 20 per cent,” the Unispace report said.
Sean Moran, Unispace’s senior principal for client development in Asia, said problems arose because managers focused on the business and staff concentrated on personal well-being – which caused dissatisfaction on both sides.
“Our study indicates that the significant disconnect between employer and employee has contributed to the struggling working environment and culture in Hong Kong,” he said.
“Hong Kong businesses need to understand the concerns and struggles of their staff, from work arrangement and office productivity to burnout.”
Moran added: “It is important that you are providing the right solutions for these people, and the flexibility and trust to move things along, and [then] you will naturally see an increase in performance and productivity.”
The poll also showed 64 per cent of city employees in the survey often had periods where they felt burned out.
Almost half – 45 per cent – attributed the feeling mostly to workload and 38 per cent said it was because of expectations by employers that staff had to be always available online at home.
But businesses insisted that employees’ inability to balance their time effectively was the main reason for the problem.
The Hong Kong survey, which involved more than 500 employees and 100-plus senior executives from mid- to large-sized companies, was part of a worldwide poll carried out by Unispace between April 3 and 14.
The international poll included more than 9,500 employees and 6,650 business leaders from 17 countries and regions.
Many companies in Hong Kong allowed its employees to work from home during the Covid-19 pandemic but, as the city battled back to normal, many asked their employees to return to the office.
Some quit their jobs for more flexible arrangements rather than go back to the daily commute.
Professional services firm PwC surveyed 1,043 employees across the city last March and found nine out of 10 staff preferred to work remotely, but only 45 per cent had been given the choice.
