We gathered inputs over the course of a year—in the market, within our business and with our people—to inform how and where we work. We tapped into this thinking to find out how we could best inspire our people and embed experiences that build trust to unlock their full potential.
We applied our Care To Do Better research which identifies the six main human needs that leave people net better off—relational, purposeful, emotional/mental, physical, financial and employable. Creating work experiences that meet these needs not only strengthens trust, but also realizes two-thirds of an individual’s potential and boosts business results, even in times of economic instability.
We undertook external research to better understand our clients’ views and what the market was saying. We looked at the academic landscape and reviewed hundreds of research publications to absorb and synthesize thought leadership on global context, culture change, competitors and technology trends.
We also crowdsourced inputs from potential candidates, surveying 3,900 people from Brazil, Europe, India, Japan, the Philippines and the United States. We found that 50% of respondents identified flexing their location and their daily hours of availability as the most important aspect when evaluating a potential employer. Across all regions, working collaboratively with a team, knowledge sharing, onboarding and leadership engagement are the kinds of in-person interactions that matter most.
We closely examined the work we do by conducting interviews with leaders in our geographies and services, along with other subject matter experts, to understand the practices supporting remote work and return to office activities. We discussed how they connect with their people and the unique needs of the various countries and service areas.
We analyzed more than 80% of all job roles and identified the location needs across the roles and where activities could be done better in-person. This provided us with specific baseline recommendations for in-person time and the in-person activities people value most.
We listened to the voices of our people through the 78,000 responses from our global all-people survey. We asked them to reflect on what has worked well and to envision our future and share what they need for their well-being, productivity and fulfilment. Eighty-eight percent identified flexible working as the most important enabler for work in the future.
We also listened to feedback from internal Change@Work events which brought together 14,000 people across the world to ideate on building careers that people love, recognizing shared success and creating a sense of belonging. These events revealed that innovative and sustainable ways of working are key to maintaining high performance and exceptional employee experiences.
Key to our success is building our future of work based on what we heard and staying focused on what’s most important to consider as we move forward. We know that compassionate leadership and intentional behaviors support a team environment where people can thrive and reach their full potential.
