Join us at the Digiday Publishing Summit from March 24-26 in Vail
Digiday Research: What return to the physical office looks like for media workers — fewer meetings, less snacks
This research is based on unique data collected from our proprietary audience of publisher, agency, brand and tech insiders. It’s available to Digiday+ members. More from the series →
The return to the physical office is a far off idea for most in the industry.
A new Digiday survey found that for 42% of media industry workers, their company hasn’t said anything concrete about when they’re expected to return back to the office. For 28% of employees, they expect to be back in the physical office by the end of the third quarter of this year. About 9% said they have been told they can work from home permanently.
Inside ad agencies, about 45% said their employers hadn’t said anything concrete, while for 29%, they expected to be back in the office by the end of the third quarter as well. About 7% were told they can work from home permanently.
Of course, the return to physical offices is anything but normal. A whopping 73% of agency workers and 88% of media workers said working from home will now be encouraged and accepted. About 39% of agencies and 36% of publishing workers said they expect a reduction in shared amenities and around 40% said they expected fewer snacks. And 32% of agencies, and 37% of publishing workers said they expect fewer meetings to take place.
As we previously reported, at agencies and publishers, 58% of respondents said they missed working in an office. But what they miss varies — and this is what employers are trying to figure out when they seek to replicate the in-office collaboration and serendipity so missing from remote workplaces.
More in Media
The Trump tariffs are forcing creators to overhaul their side businesses
The Donald Trump administration’s tariffs, which impose an additional 10 percent duty on Chinese imports, have led to an increase in creators’ business costs.
Brands’ interest in “Grand Theft Auto” is mounting — but questions about brand safety remain
Although it remains unclear whether Rockstar’s stance toward brands will soften for “GTA 6,” the game developer is certainly aware of “GTA’s” power as a distribution network, both for its own products and for outside advertisers.
Media Briefing: Podcasters test different types of paywalls for subscriptions
Podcasters discuss testing out different podcast subscriptions, and how to grow them as a complement (or alternative) to advertising revenue at this year’s On Air Fest event.