The “big quit” continues to accelerate in the U.S., with another 4.4 million workers reported to have resigned from their jobs in September, bringing the total to more than 24 million since April 2021. This historic departure of workers isn’t expected to abate any time soon—a recent McKinsey & Company survey found that 40% of employees are at least somewhat likely to leave their employer in the next three to six months. Perhaps even more telling, it identified a disconnect between employers’ perceptions and the actual reasons why employees are leaving.

What is most important to employees? Being valued by their manager and organization; a sense of belonging, and yes, work-life balance. The study showed employees were more likely to prioritize these and other relational factors of work life, including caring and trusting teammates and potential for advancement, while employers looked more at the transactional aspects such as workload and compensation.

As organizations plan for the post-COVID workplace, many are considering a hybrid approach with good reason: It’s what employees want. Of more than 30,000 workers surveyed in the Microsoft 2021 Work Trend Index, 73% wanted flexible remote work options to continue and 67% wanted more in-person time with their teams.

Perhaps to help their employees enjoy the best of both worlds, two-thirds of business decisionmakers are considering redesigning physical spaces to accommodate hybrid work environments. Yet while more collaboration space, better videoconference technology and “hotel” desk space may be useful when employees are on site, that’s only part of the picture. To be successful with a hybrid work environment long term, it’s important to be conscientious about the employee experience all day, every day.

Moving to Hybrid Spaces

Here are eight best practices to think about when moving to hybrid work:

The progress made by corporate leaders adjusting to the challenges caused by the pandemic may not be quite as rosy as they think.

A huge disconnect appears to currently exist between the views of executives and those of employees regarding the future of work, according to a new “Global Workplace Report” released by NTT, a global technology company and business solutions provider.

According to the report, the top four strategies companies currently use to adjust to new employee needs include flexible hours, wellness, remote/hybrid work, and an improved work environment.

What employees want most is flexibility, and while they’re more vocal about their wants than ever before, they often don’t feel heard and responded to.

What are the key differences between how leaders and employees view their workplace?

As organizations consider how best to navigate the post-COVID environment, many are rethinking their real estate needs and ways to offer employees ongoing flexibility for remote work.