Rise of Remote Work in (Hong Kong)
As technology advances, current business processes are set to continue evolving and further developments are expected in the years to come, which will be set to make working from home easier and more productive.
Due to the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases at the start of 2020, many businesses had to resort to remote working to avoid transmission of the virus between each other. This meant that employees had to quickly adapt to the sudden transition from office to home and face challenges such as the use of different digital platforms to be able to perform their roles from home.
Office workers in Hong Kong overwhelmingly prefer the option of working from home, following more than a year of lockdowns and quarantines that have upended business culture and work patterns.
As of 2020, a survey has revealed that 67% of Hong Kong businesses are practising remote working, and 82% of them intend to keep it that way even after the pandemic is over. This is because employees adapted to the flexibility of working remotely where commute time and costs were reduced, allowing them to have more autonomy and freedom to choose how and where they work.
Furthermore, many employees are unable to have a dedicated area as a workspace and could be easily distracted by the presence of their family members at home. This can cause an imbalance between work life and family life. 46% of Hong Kong employees actually find it unproductive to work from home.
As employees are reluctant to work back in offices, many would have to turn to alternative options to resolve this issue of working in a proper environment.
Many homes are modest and ill-suited to such arrangements, work-from-home arrangements would have a limited influence on Hong Kong’s office sector.
Companies such as Google and HSBC with headquarters in Hong Kong have also adopted a hybrid working environment where it was found to improve productivity levels by at least 21%.
HSBC, the banking giant, has given staff three options: working primarily from home, primarily in the office, or full-time in the office. They can choose to work up to four days a week from home, per an internal staff memo
Demand for flexible working spaces
The trend for a flexible workspace has been in increasing demand even before the pandemic. Since 2010, the demand for flexible workspaces has increased annually by 21% and does not show any signs of slowing down. This demand stems from mostly employees who are mostly travelling for work and do not have a dedicated space for their work.
An example of a flexible working solution would be Standard Chartered, allowing their employees to design their working pattern that is suitable for the individual. They can select their preferred location which can be the office, home, or flexible office space, and the number of hours and days one would work for the week.
Moreover, with remote working as the current procedure due to COVID-19, many employees are looking for alternative workspaces to be able to work effectively alone and alongside their team. This would be beneficial as they can have a space just for themselves and their team without any unwanted disturbance.
With this, companies have started to release hotel and coworking packages for those employees that are searching for a conducive work environment. These include Mandarin Oriental, Ovolo Hotels, and the Great Room.
Where can I book spaces by the hour, anytime, anywhere?
Employees are consistently looking for a dedicated place to work with no interruptions. With the increase in demand for such places, many hotels have now enabled bookings by the hour.
Alternatively, if you’d like additional savings you can also check out Stayr that provides spaces by the hour, anytime and anywhere. Not just hotel rooms, Stayr offers accommodations such as workspaces as well.
Want a change of space for creative flow? Click here to book your working space.
