A survey of property professionals and IT experts across a range of industries has revealed that better remote working technology is now considered to be far more important than before.

Workplace company Unispace surveyed over 2,000 senior property and IT professionals on the future of work, and what to expect from the workplace of the near future. 

Some 40 per cent of respondents expect there to be more technology for remote working in a post-Covid workplace and 34 per cent are expecting to see a new office layout. 

Just 21 per cent expect to see rapid testing kits for all staff to be made available for office workers.

Stuart Finnie, regional director of design at Unispace, says: “Technology is important, but the future of the workplace is focused on putting people first. Tech will be a big draw for new candidates and has an important role to play in connecting those working remotely and creating a workplace that enables employees to be more productive. 

“But decisions about technology in the workplace must be centred on how employees will use and benefit from it, rather than the technology driving these decisions.

“Technology can help businesses achieve goals by enabling more collaborative working and providing us with a wealth of data to help inform preferred workplace strategies, for example, but it does not solve everything. 

“Technology should be viewed as a support rather than the focus, after all, one of the core reasons people want to go back into the office is for face-to-face interactions, which technology cannot replace.”

A separate poll run by business consultancy Deloitte shows that 58 per cent of employees aged under 35 who are currently working from home say they are finding it challenging, compared to traditional in-office work.