What, No Beer?! Employees Want Better Tech, Not Snacks

Office photo from unsplash 12/6/2022

In an effort to entice employees back into the office, companies have ramped up digestible perks like beverages and food, but a recent survey conducted by proptech firm Essensys indicated that employees don’t care about snacks or other frivolous amenities — they want better technology and flexible workstations.

Of the 1,000 U.S. workers the firm surveyed earlier this year, 81% expressed frustration with their office situation, with 56% preferring better technology to enhance their ability to work, and 52% looked at the tech amenities in other buildings with envy, Commercial Observer reported.

Such amenities included buildingwide WiFi, network access across the building to various services regardless of the in-office location, and sensor-controlled climate control and lighting.

Subsequently, only 20% said amenities such as massage rooms or beer were enough to bring them back to the office. Sixty-three percent reported that flexible workspaces were important, and among those, 34% wanted convenience when it comes to layout and space.

The survey was commissioned by Essensys and conducted by Wakefield Research.

“I think what [the survey] is saying is that in this hybrid work world that we now live in, when people can come back to the office, they just want to make sure they can actually be productive and get to work,” Essesnys North America CEO Jeremy Bernard told Commercial Observer.

“And when you add challenges logging into a network, booking conference rooms or finding a place to be, I think that creates a level of friction and frustration with the actual back-to-work move and creates challenges,” Bernard said.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's National Newsletters
Related Stories

America's Data Centers Are Running Out Of People Who Know How To Run Them

Why Data Centers Crave Simplicity As Operations Grow More Complex

Blackstone Looks To Secondary Market To Cash Out Investors In $11B Fund

Ares, Canadian Pension Investor Launch $2.4B U.S. Logistics JV

Troubled Multifamily Loans Face A Refinancing Problem: Who Puts In New Equity?

Toys R Us Plans 120 New Stores Ahead Of The Holidays

Defense Tech Firms Setting Up Shop In Trump Family's Palm Beach Orbit

Data Center Leaders Aren't Sweating Calls For An AI Slowdown

REPORT: Amazon Eyes Next Industrial Push With Plans To Expand Same-Day Deliveries

First Rate Hike Since 2023 Lands Atop 5% Treasury Yield, Ratcheting Up Capital Pressure

Google Delays Thompson Center Opening To 2028, Releases New Renderings

Stockdale Hires Fortress Exec To Launch Debt Business