2024 Predictions for Flexible Work
What do 13 of the leading executives, researchers, and academics envision for the future of work in 2024?
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Flex Report | 2024 Predictions
December is prediction season! It’s a fantastic time to take stock of the year in review and imagine what will happen in the year to come.
2023 has been a fascinating year when it comes to flexible work. While many predicted a recession and significant return to the office in 2023, occupancy rates have been flat year to date. The percentage of US companies offering work location flexibility has increased from 51% at the beginning of 2023 to 62% in our last quarterly report.
So what’s on the horizon for 2024? Will the much-anticipated return to office finally pick up steam, or will we see a continued trend toward more companies adopting work location flexibility?
To get a sense of what we should expect for 2024, we asked 13 of the leading executives, researchers, and academics for their top predictions. These predictions cover a wide range of topics — from office utilization to how we use our space to how we build culture.
Want a sneak peek of what’s in the report? Here’s a little preview 👇
2024 is the “Year of the Pancake”
Nick Bloom, Economics Professor at Stanford University, foresees a "pancake flat" phase in remote work— the second stage of the "Nike swoosh" trend. This follows a decline from 2020 to 2022 due to the waning pandemic, with 2023-2024 marking a stable period as return-to-office concludes. Beyond 2025, a gradual ascent is expected as technology continues to enhance remote work.
Executives Will Be Forced to Admit Their RTO Mandates Did Not Improve Productivity
Annie Dean, Vice President, Team Anywhere at Atlassian, predicts a shift in the cultural touchpoint from the office to how work gets done. Atlassian's recent survey of Fortune 500 executives highlights low productivity as the top challenge, with only 40% of executives believing their return to office mandate positively impacted productivity.
Office Design will Shift from Emphasizing Individual Productivity to Community Connection
Ryan Anderson, VP of Global Research & Insights at MillerKnoll, anticipates a shift from monitoring weekly badge swipes to promoting regularly planned, content-rich events. Onsites are replacing offsites, driven by the inadequacies of traditional venues. Corporate workplaces will be reconfigured to support agile, large-group workshops, charettes, planning sessions, and other content-intensive gatherings.
In the Media
Fortune: Today’s smart investors are not just looking at financials–they’re diving deep into a company’s culture, including flexible work policies, recognizing them as a significant indicator of future success.
Business of Fashion: With travel expected to soon surpass pre-pandemic levels, The State of Fashion 2024 unpacks how brands and retailers are adapting to strategies to connect with vacation-focused consumers.
Toronto Star: A dramatic transformation is unfolding in our current corporate landscape, altering the essence of work and the office as we know it.
Happy New Year from Flex Index 🎉
Thank you to everyone who has read and supported Flex Index! We’ll be taking a break next week to celebrate the holidays, with the newsletter resuming on Jan 2nd.
We wish you a great holiday season and a fantastic start to 2024, and we’ll be with you every step of the way to shine a light on where we are and where we’re headed.
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About Scoop
Scoop is the fastest way to plan your next great office day. With Scoop, employees get more out of going in, with easily scheduled in-office days and invites. For HR and workplace leaders, Scoop provides insights on work location trends, office usage, and additional workplace solutions to get the most out of hybrid work.