Cisco: AI tools, better workspaces would boost in-office appeal

With hybrid work becoming the norm, advanced software tools are key to getting employees more enthusiastic about in-office work.

Cisco released its hybrid work study this week and found 72% of employees are positive about returning to the office, but they want better-equipped workspaces and more modern collaboration technologies.

Office spaces at many companies are too focused on individual work rather than structured around spaces that can encourage collaboration, social interaction and creative brainstorming, according to the survey, which polled 14,050 employees and 3,800 employers in 19 countries worldwide. Today, 34% of surveyed employers are still allocating more than 75% of their office space exclusively to personal workspaces that encourage individual work habits, Cisco found.

Technology needs to be updated to improve the in-office experience: “Technology infrastructure and integration is a major area of concern across the globe, with ineffective meeting rooms due to inadequate audio and video technology hindering productivity and collaborative efforts,” Cisco stated.

Additional in-office obstacles, according to a similar hybrid work study Cisco conducted in Europe, include insufficient network connectivity, difficulty collaborating with remote team members, and inadequate equipment or tools.

Employers seem to be aware of the disconnect and willing to invest in workplace environments. Cisco reports that 81% of employers have already redesigned their workspaces or plan to in the next 24 months.

A core feature of workspace improvements could involve the integration of AI tools. Cisco found that by 2025, 73% of employers will invest in AI-powered collaboration software, with 68% planning to enhance their workspaces with AI technologies. Some 80% of employers plan to invest in AI for workspaces and collaboration by the end of 2025. “This underscores the need to accelerate AI adoption within the workplace to enhance productivity and create a future-ready office environment,” Cisco stated.

But while 43% of employees have access to AI technologies, less than half feel proficient in using them, Cisco added. “With 1 in 4 employees not well prepared to use AI, this highlights the need for training and that businesses must select AI that meets both the organization and individual team’s needs,” Cisco stated.

Mixed feelings about returning to the office

Gartner has found companies need incentives to encourage on-site work. The top three reasons employees use the office are to build relationships, collaborate, and to bring a change to their routine, according to Danielle Torgerson, principal analyst at Gartner.

“To provide compelling incentives that encourage employees to commute and commit to working on-site, start by asking employees outright through surveys, one-on-one interactions and focus groups why they value working on-site,” Torgerson wrote in a blog post about hybrid work initiatives.

Many corporations are pushing employees to come back to the office fulltime; in a recent ResumeBuilder survey, 90% of respondents said their company will institute, or already has instituted, return-to-office policies.

Some employees are pushing back, however, and arguing that remote work has made them more productive, less stressed out, and better able to balance work-life commitments. In another Cisco survey, 78% of respondents said that remote and hybrid work improved their overall well-being. If employers insist on forcing workers back to the office, some would rather quit than comply.