Most people want to work remotely — companies want them back in-office
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National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Recognition in Recession: 15-Point Yearly Drop in Recognition Fuels Increasing Workforce Disengagement
Article content Achievers Workforce Institute's annual State of Recognition Report reveals a decline in regular workplace recognition that is fueling employee disengagement, eroding trust, and hurting productivity, and offers insights on how organizations can turn the tide Article content TORONTO — Employee recognition is in sharp decline compared to last year, adversely impacting employee performance, according to Achievers' 2025 State of Recognition report from Achievers Workforce Institute (AWI). AWI is the research and insights arm of Achievers, the world's most utilized recognition and reward software. The significant decline has initiated a ripple effect across key workplace metrics, including employee engagement, trust, and productivity. Article content AWI's annual State of Recognition Report – now in its fifth iteration and the leading analysis of recognition behavior and impact – analyzes the experiences of 3,600 employees across the world. This year's study uncovered widespread erosion of recognition frequency, consistency, and perceived value. Article content The data is clear: when recognition drops, performance follows. Ninety percent (90%) of employees say recognition would boost their productivity, and 91% say they'd put in more effort if they felt their contributions were valued. Yet, AWI's latest report reveals a stark contrast between aspirations and reality: only 23% of employees feel meaningfully recognized at work, and over half are recognized just a few times a year or less. With only 26% of employees reporting that they feel engaged at work and just 23% describing themselves as enthusiastic about their jobs, under-recognition is a key driver of the $438 billion global disengagement crisis. Article content While the workplace struggles to find solid ground as it navigates never-ending uncertainty, recognition remains one of the most effective but underutilized levers for engagement and performance. The good news? Recognition hasn't become entirely obsolete, but it's coming later, less often, and with less impact. Article content Weekly recognition may have dropped significantly, but quarterly recognition has more than doubled in the last year. This indicates that employees want to recognize others but may simply lack the tools or time to do so with consistency. Article content However, there's a direct link between recognition frequency and employee effectiveness. Employees who receive meaningful weekly recognition are 9 times more likely to feel a strong sense of belonging, 6 times more likely to see a long-term career at their company, and 2.6 times more likely to be their most productive selves. These numbers tell us that the more recognition the global workforce receives, the more global businesses stand to save on costly turnover and disengagement, which together amount to trillions in lost productivity each year. Article content Manager Recognition Rewrites the 'Toxiboss' Playbook Article content Manager recognition is the most effective way to ensure employees feel valued, and thereby more apt to put in extra effort. The most effective managers make recognition a daily priority, and they do it because their organizations foster a recognition-centric culture on a daily basis. Article content When employees feel recognized by their managers, they're up to 19 times more likely to trust them, 16.5 times more likely to recommend their company as a great place to work, and 2–3 times more likely to feel engaged, productive, and connected. Yet only 15% of employees say their manager regularly recognizes them – a drop from 20% last year – and a disheartening figure that has led to a decrease in the percentage of people who are engaged, productive, committed, and feel warmly welcomed at their company. This finding means that most managers fall under the 'toxiboss' archetype; those who expect great work from their employees but aren't taking the meaningful steps themselves to show their workers that their work is appreciated and critical to their company's mission. Article content 'The data reaffirms a truth many of us have known for years, you can't be a great manager if you don't express gratitude,' said David Bator, Managing Director of AWI. 'When managers give frequent, meaningful recognition to their teams, their workers are more likely to bring their whole selves to work. Unfortunately, most managers don't do this and would be shocked to be called 'toxic' as a result. It's not that these leaders don't cherish their people; they simply may not understand the science-backed power of recognition. Therefore, they prioritize other items on their endless to-do lists, when in fact, recognition is the single most effective tool for building high-performing teams.' Article content Recognition is a Lifeline in Today's Crisis of Connection Article content The workplace is not an easy place to be right now, as layoffs, fluctuating economic conditions, and the ushering in of AI have combined to result in a widespread case of the workplace blues defined by disconnection, loneliness, and disengagement. In many cases, people work more closely with AI rather than their coworkers, leaving a widening connection gap in dire need of being filled by something as simple as friendship. However, when employees are regularly and meaningfully recognized by their peers, they are 33% more likely to feel a strong sense of belonging at their workplace, and 37% more likely to see a long career at their company. These numbers underscore the notion that peer recognition is critical to fostering a widespread sense of belonging. Article content 'In today's workplace, we're technologizing humans and humanizing technology, but we're missing the opportunity to humanize humans,' said Hannah Yardley, Chief People and Culture Officer at Achievers. 'With the right strategy, tools, and culture in place, companies can use recognition to close today's connection gap, unlocking the full potential of their business and their people.' Article content As organizations fight to retain top talent and build a resilient company culture in today's volatile workplace, the message is clear: connection is the cure to disconnection, and recognition isn't an optional feel-good gesture, but an essential cultural anchor. Article content . Article content Article content Article content Article content
Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Globe and Mail
Omdia: Global Video Conferencing Market Grows 5% to $18 Billion in 2024 Despite Economic Uncertainty
The global video conferencing (VC) market continues to demonstrate resilience, growing by 5% year-over-year in 2024, to reach $18 billion in revenue according to new analysis from Omdia's Market Landscape report. This growth comes despite challenging geopolitical conditions and ongoing economic uncertainties, factors that could influence hybrid work policies, as businesses continue to reimagine the future of work. With this momentum, the market is projected to continue expanding through 2029. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Total video conferencing equipment market revenue "This isn't merely about weathering the storm, it's about strategic transformation,' said Prachi Nema, Principal Analyst, Digital Workplace, Omdia. 'While North America appears saturated and EMEA shows signs of stagnation, Asia & Oceania continue to show promising growth. This reflects the trend in AI adoption, with companies increasingly emphasizing collaboration tools to boost employee productivity in hybrid work settings. The collaborative meetings market grew 4% in 2024, while the VC devices experienced a 6% year-over-year increase. This growth is particularly noteworthy amid ongoing economic slowdowns and shifting enterprise priorities. In the short-to-medium term, Omdia expects the market to grow at a 5% CAGR over the next five years, with total revenue reaching $21 billion by 2029. New users in Asia & Oceania, and EMEA, as well as emerging use cases across sectors such as healthcare, education, and finance, will drive this growth. Additionally, several factors are reshaping the video conferencing landscape: AI integration is transforming both hardware and software solutions, with features such as automated summaries, translations, and advanced room analytics becoming standard offerings Strategic partnerships between hardware and software vendors are creating new market opportunities and enhancing interoperability Android-based plug-and-play solutions are gaining popularity due to their ease of use and flexibility Microsoft's dominant 49% market share in collaborative meeting services is influencing hardware certification and deployment strategies "However, the market is becoming increasingly commoditized, with very little product differentiation between vendors' offerings," said Nema. The research highlights a significant disparity in meeting room infrastructure worldwide, with only 6.25% of all meeting rooms fully equipped as standardized spaces or native meeting rooms such as Microsoft Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms. However, the market for bring-your-own-device (BYOD) rooms is significantly larger than standardized meeting rooms. The demand for BYOD rooms, particularly those that provide quick and easy wired/wireless meeting capabilities, is on the rise. Regionally, North America leads with a 42% subscription market share within collaborative meeting services, followed by Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) at 27%. Asia & Oceania owns 25% share of the subscription. Globally, only 28% of all meeting rooms have some form of VC capability, highlighting significant growth opportunities for vendors capable of overcoming cost and deployment barriers. Omdia, part of Informa TechTarget, Inc. (Nasdaq: TTGT), is a technology research and advisory group. Our deep knowledge of tech markets grounded in real conversations with industry leaders and hundreds of thousands of data points, make our market intelligence our clients' strategic advantage. From R&D to ROI, we identify the greatest opportunities and move the industry forward.
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
PATH businesses look forward to big bank back to work mandates
Social Sharing As several large employers in Toronto's financial district look to bring their employees back to the office for four days a week, small businesses in the sprawling tunnel network that sits beneath them look forward to a bump in business. The PATH — Toronto's underground pedestrian walkway network — spans 30 kilometres and has more than 1,200 businesses, according to the City of Toronto's website. During the pandemic, those businesses suffered as foot traffic dropped dramatically and never fully returned with the adoption of hybrid working models. While businesses in the PATH say things have been picking up as the pandemic moves farther into the past, the heavy foot traffic has been limited to days like Tuesday and Wednesday, which are popular in-office days for many. Jerry Li, owner of an INS convenience store under First Canadian Place, said businesses like him have no option to go remote. WATCH | The majority of workers would prefer a fully remote or hybrid workplace: Most people want to work remotely — companies want them back in-office 6 days ago A recent Angus Reid survey suggests the majority of workers would prefer a fully remote or hybrid workplace, but many employers are opting to have employees in the office more often. "I'm a client based business, I need clients here. I can't do online purchases or transactions," he said. "For small businesses and especially for me, [more foot traffic] would greatly benefit my business." Back to work may not mean back to pre-pandemic ways, expert says At Modern Golf in the PATH, where players can buy new gear and swing on simulators, president Paul Fisher said foot traffic has been on a positive trajectory. "So from [2023] when we opened the store to '24, we've noticed about a 100 per cent increase in what it feels like in foot traffic and that's compounded, from '24 to '25, it's the same impact," he said. TD Bank asked its employees to be in the office four days a week starting in the fall on July 23. Other big banks, including Scotiabank, Bank of Montreal and Royal Bank have also mandated at least four days in office starting in September. Though it's not over the PATH, Rogers Communications is the latest large employer to say it will be bringing employees back to the office for the majority of the week. The telecom company says it will require its corporate employees to be in the office four days a week starting in October, then five days a week in February. Laura Miller, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Toronto who is working on a book about the PATH, said just because employees are going back to the office that doesn't mean things will be like they were before the pandemic. "People have gotten used to online shopping for everyday items, clothing and groceries, things that you might've picked up at lunchtime." Back to work good for city revenue: board of trade Giles Gherson, CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, said an influx of workers downtown doesn't just benefit small businesses, but also the city as a whole. Because if commercial office towers maintain a vacancy rate that's higher than pre-pandemic levels, the value of their property will decrease as it's re-assessed. "Then the property tax revenue from those buildings declines. And that could be a significant hit for a city that's already got a very large financial pressure, which affects city services," he said. WATCH | Amazon employees frustrated with return to office: Amazon ends remote work, and some employees aren't happy 7 months ago Amazon is one of the most high-profile companies to roll back remote work entirely, but some of its employees are unhappy with the change and want to see proof that more in-office time boosts collaboration and culture. But Gherson said the transition to bringing office workers back four to five days a week may encounter some bumps, as employees have become accustomed to the hybrid model. A sentiment that's backed up in data, according to a study released by Angus Reid in late July. It found among people who've worked remotely, three quarters of them would prefer to spend most of their time at home. Jon Roe, a research associate with Angus Reid, anticipates a lot of resistance from employees, but said they may not have the leverage to do much about it. "Compared to the last couple years, the job market is a little bit more favourable to the employers now," he said. While the unemployment rate dropped slightly this month, in May it was at the highest point in nine years outside of the pandemic. When fewer people were looking for jobs in previous years, employees had more power to dictate terms, he said.
