Innovating for the hybrid future of work

Skepticism about how productive employees could be if they worked from home also eroded. An April 2021 study from the Becker Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago examined companies' post-covid remote work plans and found a predicted productivity boost of 5% for the US economy. And a December 2020 survey by PwC found that 34% of employees said they were more productive than before the pandemic, while over half of executives said average employee productivity had improved. Now, an equally widespread disruption is underway in the form of hybrid work: while some organizations are insisting workers return to the office full-time, many are prepping for a new normal where employees spend some days in the office and some days working remotely, with a combination of virtual and in-person meetings and collaboration. A CNBC survey of executives in human resources, finance, and technology found that just under half of companies will use a hybrid work model in the second half of 2021.