Global Workplace Assessment

We surveyed desk-based workers from 9 countries. Here’s what we learned.

Key takeaway 01

Offices are back—but flexibility is here to stay

49% of respondents work for companies with fully in-office policies. 37.4% of respondents work for companies with hybrid location policies.* 13.6% of respondents work for companies with fully remote policies. 
 
*This group still spends almost half their time each week in the office.

A red, green, and blue chart indicating 13.6 percent of respondents work fully remote, 49 percent work fully in-office, and 37.4 percent work hybrid
Key takeaway 02

Most fully remote companies operate in 3 countries

While the fewest respondents globally work for companies with fully remote location policies (just 13.6%), these companies are most likely to be headquartered in Canada, the UK, or the US.

A grey map of the world with the US, Canada, and the UK highlighted in blue
Key takeaway 03

Long commutes don’t keep people away from offices

Length of commute is not a significant factor for how many days per week respondents spend in the office under hybrid location policies. Employees who live more than 60 minutes from their office only spend slightly less time there (2.25 days/week on average) than those who live within 15 minutes of their office (2.59 days/week on average).

An illustration of a train, bicycle, and car on multicolored lines approaching an office building
Key takeaway 04

Location policies vary by industry

Industries most likely to adopt fully in-office policies include Healthcare and Social Assistance (57.3%), Retail (59.5%), and Manufacturing (59.2%). Industries most likely to adopt fully remote or flexible location policies include Professional Services (66.6%), Finance and Insurance (64.2%), and Information Services (54.6%).

A multicolored bar graph showing how certain industries are more likely to work fully remote or hybrid while other industries are more likely to work fully in-office
Methodology

Behind the numbers

The MillerKnoll Global Workplace Assessment surveyed 4,815 desk-based workers in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, Brazil, India, Germany, and the UK. Surveys took place between Aug. 2 and Aug. 22, 2023. Participants rated their current workplaces across a range of factors using a 5-point scale.

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