New survey shows employees want to socialise despite working from home
Despite concerns that working from home can negatively impact workplace relationships, a new report has found that majority of remote employees in New Zealand really want to meet their colleagues after work.
The New Zealand Herald reported this week a new survey from Bacardi that polled 501 Kiwis aged 18 to 35 to determine how they feel about socialising in the workplace.
Bacardi's findings showed that 80% of them are already joining post-work socialising, with 52% preferring to do so during cocktail hours, the Herald reported.
These activities stem from employees' strong desire join such occasions - with 67% of the respondents saying they want to socialise with colleagues outside of work hours.
This desire is even greater for remote employees, with 87% of them keen to gather with their workmates after work.
The findings come amid previous reports that working from home could hold back the establishment of meaningful workplace connections, with employees unable to connect with their online peers properly.
Benefits, hindrances to socialising
Employees in the Bacardi survey cited the following benefits to meeting colleagues:
- Improved workplace culture (69%)
- Helped reduce stress (47%)
- Way to celebrate each other's professional achievements (46%)
The top reasons why some said they can't socialise include the lack of time (47%) and having prior personal commitments (31%).
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Kane Stanford, Bacardi commercial director, said the findings indicate that employees are looking for chances to meet up with their colleagues outside work hours.
"As we witness a post-pandemic shift in employees' perspectives, it becomes evident we need to find new ways of integrating both work and leisure for young professionals," Stanford said as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
In New Zealand, the number of hybrid workers have been on an increasing trend since December 2022, with the wellbeing@work study findings that there are 41.7% of Kiwis under hybrid work as of December 2023.