The chief executive of one of Canada's largest independent coworking office providers said his company's latest survey would seem to be a study in contradictions.
The survey done on behalf of iQ Offices by Maru Public Opinion found that 43% of respondents prefer to work in-office full-time or in a hybrid capacity compared to fully remote positions, but the same percentage of respondents said they don't like their current office conditions.
"People just don't think coming into the office creates an encouraging and enjoyable work environment," said Kane Willmott, CEO of iQ Offices, in an interview.
The survey, conducted between July 1 and 2 among 859 randomly selected employed Canadian adults, found 34% dislike the workspace in their current office.
The survey also found that 54% of respondents believe their current space is outdated, while 47% said it is out of touch with what they need in a work environment. Respondents could select multiple reasons.
"You look at (public discussion), and it's about no one wants to return to the office and about the benefits of remote work, but no one talks about the quality of the workspace they are going to," said Willmott.
Tapping employee sentiment
iQ Office, with coworking locations in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, has a stake in people returning to the office and has doubled down on that bet with the decision to open a new location at 302 Bay Street in Canada's largest city. The new location is expected to open on December 1.
"We did this survey because there just was not a whole lot of data that talks about sentiment around the office when you get there and whether that situation would improve if we improved the experience," said Willmott.
The company's latest location is a 14-storey building connected to Toronto's underground Path system that links the core's buildings, a convenience that iQ Office hopes may address some of the issues the company found in its survey.
That survey found that 76% of respondents said they could be enticed back to the office if it had a well-designed working environment, perks like free snacks and beverages, a central location, and convenient amenities.
Asked to list what would influence them to return to the office, 42% cited ease of commute, 38% said comfortable, dynamic workspaces and 35% said in-person collaboration.
Willmott said another trend he is seeing is companies setting up small offices for short periods of time, utilizing the space three days a week.
"We call that a sprint space and it's almost like an event. We are working with a large technology company that wants six-week sprints, three days a week, and brings people in from all over the world," said Willmott.