Employees are starting to miss the perks of the office

Employees are getting tired of the comforts of home.

As the pandemic wears on, 70% of employees are choosing to spend time in the office, and a third of employees are renting out coworking spaces, Airbnbs and vacation homes to get work done, according to a survey by the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, a business development firm.

Employees are feeling tempted by in-office perks to return to workspaces, the survey found. Forty-two percent said coffee, food and snacks would encourage them to return, 35% listed comfortable furniture as an incentive and 33% listed access to outdoor workspaces as a draw.

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“These findings are helping us figure out how to meet the future of work by optimizing the new hybrid workplace, while also balancing employee wellness and productivity,” Mary-Claire Burick, president of the Rosslyn BID, said in a release. “Community leaders around the country are working toward new solutions as the future of work continues to evolve.”

While working from home has become normalized, the routines and stressors of the past 18 months have left employees looking for change. A survey by Morning Consult found that while 31% of employees still want to work from home full-time, 45% want to be in the office five days a week, and 24% would like an even split of work and home time.

The workplace can foster productivity and collaboration, even if employees just gather a few times a week, says Bryan Murphy, CEO of Breather, a private workspace provider. Getting out of the stale routines of working from home might be the boost employees are looking for.

“Humans are social creatures and no one wants to be cooped up on their own every day, all day, not seeing other people,” Murphy says. “People want space to get some quiet time away from their family when they need to be really productive or they need to do a client call. There’s also the social aspect of work that people miss.”

Read more: Want to get your employees back to the office? Outdoor workspace might be the answer

The Rosslyn BID survey found that employees are open to new ways of working, especially if they had access to an outdoor office to collaborate safely. Seventy-six percent of those surveyed said working outside would promote productivity, and 86% said it would help their mental health. With so many options and incentives available, employers should get creative when it comes to thinking about what work looks like today.

“Hybrid has taken on a new meaning and people have more flexibility than ever before in where they choose to work,” Jennifer Burns, EVP of developer Monday properties, said in the release. “The way we are viewing hybrid working actually has a lot more to do with new, thoughtful amenities than it does home versus office. We have adapted how we create spaces based on how they are using them to create healthy, safe and engaging environments in the future."