A new report on post-COVID-19 working practices by leading intranet provider HUB reveals that 63 percent of business leaders are prioritizing team engagement in 2024 due to the challenges of the pandemic, while just eight percent of desk-based professionals are required in the office five days a week.

The findings were published in March 2024 in the HUB report, ‘Brave New World of Work & Comms’, and provide important insights and analysis on the changing face of businesses as the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eighty percent of businesses surveyed in the report confirmed that staff working practices have permanently changed since the pandemic in favor of work from home (WFH).

While the surface-level analysis is that this setup is working well and companies have adapted, scratch deeper and the report raises some red flags for business leaders.

Concerns About Collaboration

Clearly WFH has had productivity and work–life balance benefits for many desk-based professions, but these can come at the expense of team connection and innovation, which combine with internal efficiency issues that have dogged corporates for years.

Over half of business leaders are now voicing concerns about internal collaboration, with operational innovation also an issue for some, according to the report.

On top of this, there are worries about team connection, colleagues’ sense of belonging and personal development – 40 percent cite challenges with the latter.

Team Engagement and Collaboration

As businesses continue to recover from the pandemic, it looks like the boardroom view on remote working has evolved and continues to evolve. There’s definitely an awareness of the cultural and operational downsides of WFH and the negative commercial implications of these if not addressed.

Action is required, and many leaders seem to be mobilizing. It’s why team engagement and better collaboration measures are top priorities in 2024. In fact, 63 percent of business leaders are prioritizing team engagement in 2024.

Changes in Communications

The HUB findings indicate that new communications channels have been embraced and established tools reimagined. The report identifies a 23 percent uplift in social platform usage since the pandemic, with intranets also experiencing a resurgence.

Over 60 percent of businesses are planning medium-to-high use of intranets in 2024, up 17 percent from pre-pandemic times. The uptick in intranet usage ties in with increased demand for intranet technology. The HUB intranet solution reports a trebling in demand for its product over the past four years.

In a post-pandemic world, as WFH and hybrid working schedules become more commonplace, intranets will continue to play an important role. They can help leaders drive a strong and inclusive workplace culture, where colleagues can feel a connection to each other, whether or not they are working in the same physical space.