Hub Australia Report Offers Ultimate Office Experience Roadmap to Combat ‘Workplace Window Dressing’  

The emergence of ‘workplace window dressing’, where employers make superficial claims about flexibility and workplace culture to win talent, are shortsighted and damaging employee engagement and company productivity, according to new research from hundreds of Australian workers.

The latest research report ‘Love Where You Work’ from leading flexible workspace provider Hub Australia examined workplace experience priorities and concerns of 775 members nationally.  

As Australia continues to experience record numbers of empty offices and low occupancy levels, with Melbourne and Sydney continuing to shun the office comeback and being among the slowest cities in the world to return, businesses are looking for ways to draw teams back. Hub is bucking this trend as most of its members confirmed they are working from the office more now than home.

Hub’s research found that this return to office is driven by members’ desire for social connection, meaningful experiences as well as the lack of culture from just working at home. Ultimately highlighting the performance benefits to offering employees engaging workspaces that support connection, wellbeing and diverse working needs.

However, CEO of Hub Australia Brad Krauskopf said there is a prevalent trend of employers making insincere claims about workplace experience and virtue signaling around their corporate culture, wellbeing and flexibility to secure talent, without following through.

“’Workplace window dressing’ is becoming a real issue among employers and will continue to impact employee engagement and office attendance unless it’s called out. Too many companies are quick to put a band-aid on deep-rooted issues with flashy perks and wellness programs that look good on the surface but fail to address the real needs of their employees.

“Hub’s latest report offers business owners a workplace experience plan, sharing our own key insights to help Australian businesses work towards building nurturing and meaningful workplaces. These include foundational elements like setting up regular team pulse checks to eventually extending your connection and community beyond the office walls through partners.”

The report highlights the significant changes in workplace culture over the past five years, the resurgence of physical offices and its transformation from just a place to work, to a place where employees feel they belong, are motivated and can build valuable relationships.

“These environments actually play a critical role in supporting career development, social enrichment, provide values alignment and it’s clear that the businesses which invest in creating spaces that foster this culture are seeing the investment pay dividends,” Krauskopf said

The ‘Love Where You Work’ Report found:

• 50% of the 775 survey respondents preferred to work from the office more in the last year, with social interactions as the top reason teams go in and lack of culture as the biggest downside of remote work.
• Team mandated days was the least important consideration as to why members come in, showing much more care for collaboration, socialising and getting out of the home as the key factors, highlighting the importance of culture and connection.
• 87% of respondents agreed that social activities are the most in-demand workplace events followed by wellbeing sessions (43%).
• Hub’s report also highlights the importance of flexible and hybridized work arrangements, as over half (57%) of respondents agreed this aspect is most important to consider when looking for a new job.

Hub Member Melissa Marsden, Founder and Director of COMUNiTI, a workplace strategy and design consultancy, said, “when you invest in your workplace, your team is far more likely to want to stay and produce results. We recently designed a space for a Brisbane based recruitment agency which saw a $100 million uptick in output because of the tailor-made workplace which went deeper than surface level aesthetics.”

“My own company is based from a Hub site and we thrive here because of the experience on offer, the flexibility, amenities, partners and services really foster productivity, socialisaton, collaboration and connection. Good experience truly has a direct correlation with high performance, these tailored, considered workplaces are setting the benchmark for the future, modern office.”

Hub’s report offers a roadmap to enhance workplace experience that will help build environments that meet diverse needs of today and move beyond surface-level intentions.

As the largest flexible workspace provider, Hub draws inspiration from 5-star hotels, incorporating elements of luxury and high-quality service into its workspace designs to ensure employee experience is at the core.

Across all sites, Hub provides amenities such as parent rooms, gyms, lounges, serviced meeting rooms, adaptable workspaces, kitchens, cafes and bars. As well as a nationwide portfolio of brand partners to activate the spaces including an exclusive collaboration with Unyoked Cabins offering 186 free nights to members to provide the ultimate ‘switch off’ wellness program.

For further details on Hub Australia, please visit www.hubaustralia.com.