A new survey reveals the thing office workers miss most about being in the office is socialising and interacting with colleagues, with 53% of workers saying this was the case.
This was followed by separation between work life and home life, routine, getting out of the home and the sense of team (28%).
The survey was conducted by Censuswide for Auxilion and involved around 1,000 office workers in Ireland.
It found that some 39% of office workers say the pandemic has had a negative impact on their company culture.
Wexford ranked the highest county in this regard, with 55% of office workers from this area saying the pandemic has had a negative impact on same.
This was followed by Kilkenny (53%), Laois (52%), Cavan (50%) and Meath (50%).
21% of all survey respondents would like to be in the office full time going forward. The highest demand for a return to the office was among workers from Monaghan (56%), Kerry (35%) and Louth (32%), Auxilion noted.
Today's study also revealed the biggest challenges for office workers when working from home.
These are less separation of personal and work lives (42%), being unable to talk to colleagues face-to-face (40%), loneliness/isolation (39%), a lack of motivation (30%) and non-work distractions (30%).
Niamh Cray, Head of People and Talent at Auxilion, said that hybrid work is still a new concept and one that many Irish companies still have to figure out in terms of best practice.
But she cautioned that employers have to be mindful that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work, with some thriving at home and others craving a return to the office.
"Organisations need to get the balance and their approach right. While greater flexibility is a major benefit for people, businesses must ensure that this doesn't have an impact on the ability of people to be collaborative, interactive and productive - or jeopardise work/life balance," she said.
She said that putting the practical tools and well-thought-out strategies in place to empower workers will be the way forward and will help to create the new workplace while more effective communication tools might be needed or flexible start times could prove beneficial.
