New AI study provides a unique description of employees’ experiences of working from home
To enhance understanding of tomorrow’s workplaces and work lives, Wihlborgs collaborated with Navet and Quilt AI to carry out the study “Kontorsmarknad i förändring” (A Changing office market) – the findings show people are torn. Many paint a positive picture of working from home, but at the same time online searches relating to psychosocial health, social contact and efficiency have all increased.
The study is based on substantial quantities of data from articles, Google searches and posts on social media, which were then analysed using AI. The report shows that 80 percent of people present themselves as positive or neutral to working from home and that the preference for working from home had increased 170 percent. But the study of real behaviour also found that many were experiencing challenges with working from home.
“What makes this study interesting is that it has harnessed AI to draw conclusions beyond our own perceptions of our own behaviour. The study provides insights and data on what we need to do as an employer and can also act as a basis for dialogues with customers who in many cases share the same dilemma. I see a risk of us building up a work environment debt to our employees as well as the need for us as a company to act to continue building a strong culture and to remain efficient and innovative,” says Ulrika Hallengren, CEO of Wihlborgs.
“We now know that we can make the working day function remotely, but it has also become clear that the need for belonging and development cannot be satisfied by digital meetings alone. Every business needs to reflect on how workplace and work methods are designed for the organisation to be able to deliver value and remain healthy moving forward. There is no general answer to that question, but we are looking forward to interesting discussions with our customers about these issues,” says Ulrika Hallengren.
Some trends identified in the study:
Need for community and concerns for mental health
Searches relating to subjects concerning social contact and human contact had increased 940 percent, encompassing searches for tips on remote methods for team building for example. Searches relating to mental health increased by just over 100 percent.
New routines and methods to measure efficiency required
Many feel it is difficult to measure their efficiency and need to identify better methods to plan their working day. There is a substantial need to receive acknowledgement for work performed and efficiency. Searches in this regard increased 400 percent.
Desire to decide over one’s own time
People’s desire to determine how, where and when they work has increased 25 percent at the same time as interest in working part time has decreased. This shows that people’s desire for flexibility and being able to control their own hours can be solved in a number of ways.
About the study:
The study is based on data relating to home and office-working and was analysed using artificial intelligence (AI). The study encompassed 2,400 social media posts from individuals, 6,100 posts from companies and 2,300,000 Google searches, and compared data from eight months prior to and eight months after the start of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, over 25 reports and articles relating to this subject were analysed. The amount of content used in the analysis corresponds to a survey of 260,000 individuals. The advantage of this type of study is that it produces a significantly more nuanced image, as it reflects both how people express themselves and how they act.
Read the full report at www.wihlborgs.se/navetrapport
Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB (publ)
For further information, please contact:
Ulrika Hallengren, CEO, Tel: +46 40 690 57 95
Anna Nambord, Director of Sustainable Business, +46 40 690 57 54
Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB (publ) is a property company that focuses on commercial properties in the Öresund region. Its property portfolio is located in Malmö, Helsingborg, Lund and Copenhagen. In Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg, Wihlborgs is the leading property company.
The book value of the company’s properties totals SEK 46.1 billion, representing an annual property rental value of SEK 3.3 billion.
Wihlborgs’ shares are listed on the Large Cap List of Nasdaq Stockholm.
