AT HOME Research Survey Firmwide Report

AT HOME RESEARCH SURVEY Firmwide Report 21 JULY 2020 (REV 01)

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Executive Summary What We Did With workforces across the globe adapting to a rapid change in work style and patterns during these unprecedented times, it is critical to understand how this has effected our employees well-being and effectiveness. In order to take an evidence-based approach to understand the impact of working from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, we conducted an online survey with all Perkins and Will studios globally.

Measuring Perkins and Will employees' home working experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Findings are aimed at informing the future role of offices, at a studio level.

WE SENT

About the AT HOME Survey The AT HOME Survey was developed by the Perkins and Will HX Lab in collaboration with the London Planning and Strategies team. It consisted of 18 questions spanning three distinct modules that measured demographics, pre and post-COVID-19 work patterns, WFH experience and transitioning back to the office. The survey was open from 20th May to 1st June 2020 and achieved a response rate of 75%.

A 1-week pilot study was conducted with 20 Perkins and Will opinion leaders to test the modules and make a number of feedback-based iterations prior to firmwide launch.

18 questions to 2,412 employees in 26 studios on 6 continents

Meet the Team

Carlotta Dove

Erika Eitland

Lisa Pool

Natalie Smith

Pauline Zanetto

Workplace Consultant

Research Analyst Boston

Director of Workplace Strategy Minneapolis

Associate Principal London

Junior Workplace Consultant London

London

75%

Response Rate

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Demographics While the majority of survey respondents (42%) have been with Perkins and Will for up to 2 years, 24% have a tenure of 1-2 years indicating a 'young' demographic. The majority works at a staff level (53%), followed by 43% who work at an Associate level and above. The largest age group is 25 to 34 years old (36%). Survey findings showed that every age group experience different challenges and wins when WFH, often due to correlating socioeconomic and lifestyle factors.

Before and Since WFH Survey analysis revealed that, pre-COVID-19, commutes of up to 45 minutes using public transport and minimal home working were the norm for the majority of Perkins and Will employees. The shift to working from home has led to changes in work patterns, with employees reporting an increase in working hours, with work frequently carried out later in the evening (53%). Overall perceived task effectiveness has remained unchanged or slightly improved for the majority of Perkins and Will employees. Individual focus work such as writing, reading and firmwide communication have instead increased in effectiveness since working from home, while larger, and formal (client) interactions have decreased.

WFH Experience and Office Transitioning While working from home comes with unique challenges to Perkins and Will employees, in particular in regards to ergonomics, positives outweigh them, especially when it comes to work/life balance and well-being. This has sparked a significant shift in future home working expectations, among all generations, with the majority of Perkins and Will employees feeling they could work from home significantly more in the future.

The shift to home working has impacted Perkins and Will on all levels - spatial, social and cultural - bringing with it a newfound perspective on future ways of working.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Further Discussion and Next Steps Addressing Workforce-Wide Pain Points While survey findings revealed that the rapid shift to home working has come with many wins and improvement for Perkins and Will employees, addressing factors that negatively impact the home working experience proactively will mitigate long-term issues, especially in the context of managing dispersed teams.

Celebrating and Learning from WFH 'Wins' Harnessing the positives of home working while recognizing unique differences between age group, tenures and locations will be key moving forward, as a firm.

Leveraging the survey findings to help Perkins and Will make data-driven business decisions is key as a research based firm.

One Size Does not Fit All While key pain points and wins were similar across demographics, tenures and studios, a variety of factors shaping the home working experience were found to be dependent on age, lifestyle, home work surrounding and geographical location. It is thus recommended to take this into consideration when harnessing the findings of the 'AT HOME' Survey to make data-driven business decisions moving forward.

Taking a Longitudinal Approach Taking a longitudinal approach to surveying will enhance our understanding of the influence of lifestyle factors and habituation, as well as the phased re-opening of cities, on the home working experience

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As with all methods of data collection, survey research comes with its strengths and limitations. Surveys are indeed a great way to gather a large amount of information ensuring generalizability of findings. However this survey research also comes with a set of drawbacks, as outlined below.

Strengths

Limitations

Context and

Evidence-based

Bench-markable

survey with

findings with over

potential to inform

3,000 responses

business-decisions

gathered to date

Anonymity of survey

Generalizability of

Pilot conducted with

findings

findings

opinion leaders

Reliable method

timings of survey

(standardized

launch (COVID-19,

questions)

caregivers/school/ nursery closures)

Social desirability bias (self-report task effectiveness may not be accurate)

Respondents age

Open comments

demographics and

open to a range of

young workforce

interpretations

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A series of concrete next steps are outlined below. The short term next steps are centered around playing back the data and disseminating findings internally and externally, whilst the medium to long-term steps are actionable and focused on people, process and place.

Short Term

Medium to Long Term

1. Disseminate firmwide findings to all Perkins and Will employees (led by Lisa Pool/Phil Harrison)

5. Address workforce-wide pain points (led by Studios)

Define a strategy to disseminate firmwide findings to all Perkins and Will

Individual studios to identify areas to explore further to find creative ways

employees. Sharing the report via email, and setting up an engagement forum.

to tackle challenges . Work with local HR teams as necessary. Key pain points

2. Disseminate findings to the wider audience (led by Studio marketing) - in progress Use survey findings to support pitches, client presentations and firmwide

emerging from the firmwide survey include: lack of separation between work and life, increased working hours, decreased task effectiveness (larger collaborative tasks).

publications. Write a white paper and publication around findings.

6. Celebrate and learn from WFH 'Wins' (led by Studios)

3. Understand differences and similarities among Studios (led by Studios) - in progress

Individuals studios to disseminate lessons learned from the survey findings.

Individual studios are in the process of conducting their analysis (briefing

flexibility, improved work-life balance, improved firmwide communication and

session 26 June). Individual studios to lead on their next steps and

improved task effectiveness (individual tasks)

recommendations.

4. Market the survey (led by All) - In progress

Key WFH wins emerging from the firmwide survey include: Greater autonomy,

7. Take a longitudinal approach (led by Survey Team) Issue the 'AT HOME' Survey in a cyclical manner throughout Q3 and Q4 2020

The survey is client-ready, and should continue to be marketed to clients and

(subject to school/nursery closures) to understand patterns of change over

potential clients. Survey team to work together with the marketing team to

time, and assess the time-related characteristics of COVID-19 on employees

market survey via social media.

effectiveness and well-being.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Taking a people and process approach the Survey team has outlined recommendations. These are a starting point to enable further discussions and business decisions to take place. These would need to be reviewed in line with the phased return for each studio.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS

SUPPORTING SURVEY FINDINGS

AUDIENCES

LED BY

Managers

HR

Culture, sense of belonging and team identity have all decreased since WFH. Open comments revealed individuals feeling an increase sense of anxiety, stress and isolation since WFH.

Managers and, all employees

Team

Adopt a holistic well-being approach by integrating health and safety WFH guidelines and protocols.

51% of employees indicated their working hours increased since WFH. 21% reported taking limited breaks since working from home.

All employees

Firmwide

Guidance and tips to sent to all employees around behaviors and habits when working remotely.

Open comments revealed an influx of phone calls and meetings.

All employees

HR local

Explore options to conduct a WFH risk assessment. Provide adequate ergonomics to employees WFH, in line with WFH risk assessment measures, 63% of respondents struggle with ergonomics since working from home and if working from home continued for the majority of the time, post-COVID-19.

All employees

Firmwide/Studios

Reinforce improved ways of working by reflecting on behaviors and protocols since working remotely. Implement behavioral tips for habits not conducive to the office.

Overall findings suggest an opportunity to leverage behaviors adopted whilst working remotely. Lighting fast digital collaboration, increase autonomy, increased in firmwide communication.

All employees

Studio

Keep the communication channels open for questions and concerns for employees who are continuing to WFH.

Firmwide communication and digital communication has increased in effectiveness since WFH.

All employees

Team

All employees

Studio

Provide training and guidelines to all managers on how to manage/lead dispersed and/or distributed teams. Implement some 'hot' tips for targeted Individuals with greater tenures are less satisfied with project/team management. groups of managers experiencing challenges.

Provide dedicated check-in sessions (i.e. how you are feeling sessions) with team members. Remember emotions may be lost in the virtual world.

Implement a 'buddy' system for informal/ad-hoc conversations once people transition back to the office to ensure no one is left behind.

Leverage WFH 'wins' and 'pain points' to build a resilient workforce.

Wins include: Greater autonomy, flexibility, improved work-life balance, improved firmwide communication and improved task effectiveness (individual tasks) Pain points include: lack of separation between work and life, increased working hours, decreased task effectiveness (larger collaborative tasks).

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Module 2: Before and Since WFH

COVID-19 has brought about significant changes in Perkins and Will employees work and life. This varies according to pre-WFH experience and demographic.

Time of Commute

Modes of Transport

Working Hours

Caretaking

The majority of Perkins and Will employees (48%) have a commute of up to 45 minutes.

The most popular modes of transport are driving a car, walking and taking the bus.

43% of Perkins and Will employees are taking care of one or more family members during COVID-19 WFH.

Shorter commute times often go hand in hand with more 'active' methods of transport i.e. walking/cycling.

25-34 year olds are more likely to walk or use the bus than other age brackets.

The majority of Perkins and Will employees are working longer, earlier and later since COVID-19. This is the case even for employees who have worked from home frequently pre-COVID-19.

Perkins and Will employees working longer hours (early start/late finish) are significantly more likely to be dissatisfied with their wellbeing since WFH.

They are significantly more likely to struggle with balancing non-work related commitments, background noise and visual privacy than those without family members to take care of.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Module 3: WFH Experience and Office Transitioning

Despite seeing a decrease in sense of belonging and sense of connectedness since WFH, an increased satisfaction with firmwide communication is reported.

Top WFH Challenges

WFH Improvements

Task Effectiveness

Culture/Social Factors

Top challenges since WFH included dis-satisfactory ergonomics, lack of physical activity/exercise and inability to balance non-work related commitments.

Top things that have improved for Perkins and Will employees since WFH include environmental comfort and balancing non-work related commitments for some.

Phone calls, reading and writing reported highest improvements in task effectiveness.

Greater decline in satisfaction with culture/social factors than with task effectiveness.

Only a fraction of responses were 'somewhat' or 'a lot less effective'.

Culture and sense of belonging highest decline since WFH.

Spatial and lifestyle factors are linked, with employees struggling with balancing non-work related commitments more likely to report lower energy levels.

Interestingly, concentration is seen as both a key challenge and the biggest improvement since WFH, with greater choice in surroundings and noise levels aiding concentration, and increased digitalization hindering it.

Despite seeing a decrease in sense of belonging and sense of connectedness since WFH, Perkins and Will employees reported increased satisfaction levels with firmwide communication.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

What is the effect of age on WFH experience during COVID-19?

Every age group experiences different struggles and wins when WFH, often due to correlating socioeconomic and lifestyle factors.

18-25

25-34

35-54

55+

This age group reported highest improvements in satisfaction with cultural connectedness and communication, possibly due to lack of company-identification associated with tenures of under a year. They are the most likely to use their bed or sofa as their primary work setting, leading to the highest ergonomical issues and possible lack of boundaries between

As a technology-savvy generation, sense of team identity and communication has improved for the majority of Perkins and Will employees aged 25-34. Greater struggles come in the form of a lack of interpersonal connectedness,

With the majority (60%) of this age bracket taking care of one or more family members since WFH, key issues were frequently associated with school/nursery closures due to COVID-19. A higher seniority level has led to an omnipresence

The only generation less likely to struggle with balancing non-work related commitments and most likely to be able to work from a dedicated room, key issues for Baby Boomers arise in factors relating to culture, team identity and sense of

loneliness and anxiety, as well as fear of lack of career growth opportunities since WFH.

of meetings, calls and team-check ins which has further increased fatigue for many.

connectedness, as well as IT and environmental issues, i.e. visual strains due to electrical lighting, visual acuity and brightness.

work and life.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

WFH Effectiveness versus Efficiency

Perkins and Will employees report higher effectiveness since WFH—but increased working hours and influx of digital communication may impact long-term efficiency.

The two 'effs' While they may sound similar, efficiency and effectiveness measure two separate concepts.

Effectiveness is defined as the level of results achieved, while efficiency is defined as the time used to achieve the result.

Task Effectiveness

Working Hours

Collaboration

Practice Areas

Perceived task effectiveness has

Increase in effectiveness may have come at the cost of longer working hours, with almost half of Perkins and Will employees (51%) reporting working longer hours since COVID-19.

While digital communication has increased in effectiveness, especially phone calls and team communications - this influx of digital connectedness has lead to decreased energy levels for pockets of the workforce.

While task effectiveness has increased for the majority of Perkins and Will employees, further analysis showed variance in task effectiveness by practice area.

remained unchanged or even increased since working from home for the majority of employees.

In particular individual, focus heavy tasks have reported wins. Caregivers report the greatest changes in preCOVID-19 WFH task effectiveness, and are most likely to struggle with background noise and concentration.

Long-term consequences of continuous over-work may include feeling of burnout and decreased productivity, making this shift a 'yellow flag' to watch closely.

Concerted effort should therefore be made to maintain digital team communications while avoiding the trend of 'over-communicating'.

Most notably, Architecture feel less effective at hand drawing/ sketching, while Branded Environments struggle with data and computation.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Practice Areas Analysis

Perkins and Will practice areas report great similarities in WFH experience and future WFH appetite.

Task Effectiveness

Top Challenges

Top Improvements

Future WFH Appetite

Individual focused work such as

Employees in all practice areas struggled the most with ergonomics, physical activity/exercise, and balancing non-work related commitments.

Balancing non-work related commitments, concentration, comfort and speech privacy were among the key improvements since WFH for the majority of the practice areas.

While the majority of practice areas reported an appetite for working from home moving forward, Branded Environments, Interiors, Architecture and Administration/Operations had a higher proportion of staff reporting that they would want to work from the office more than other practice areas.

reading, writing and data-related task has increased in effectiveness for all practice areas, with reading increased the most on average for all. Ideation and charettes were seen as the least effective on average since WFH for all practice areas, particularly for Branded

Architecture and Planning and Strategies showed the highest struggle with balancing non-work related commitments.

Background noise was seen as improved for Branded Environments and Planning and Strategies.

Environments, Urban Design, Interiors and Architecture.

Note: Respondents who selected 'Other' as Practice Area not included in this section.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Future of Work

Appetite for WFH post-COVID-19 has increased significantly for most of Perkins and Will employees. The future role of the office is seen in the spectra of socializing, collaborating and separating work and personal life.

Appetite for WFH

Fostering Interaction

Supporting Collaboration

Separating Work and Life

Quantitative data findings

In order to determine the role of the office post-COVID-19, challenges since WFH as well as aspects of the office experience that were missed the most where reviewed. Results showed that, despite WFH bringing about challenges in ergonomics and technology, social aspects of the office and creating a separation between work and personal life were missed more than the physical environment.

While digital collaboration has improved in effectiveness since WFH, structured, formal interactions, as well as serendipitous collaboration cross-practice areas have decreased. These findings point towards the importance of the office in catering to face to face interactions and aiding in collaborative activities that don't come natural within the digital realm.

A further role of the future office may come in the form of the office acting as a physical signal of boundaries setting, separating work and personal life. This comes in the light of open comments revealing a struggle to 'switch-off' from work, with 52% of Perkins and Will employees reporting working extended hours since WFH.

revealed a significant shift in WFH perceptions for the majority of Perkins and Will employees, towards a mixed model of working from home and from the office.

Whereas previously, 84% of working time was spent at the office and 19% at home, in the future only 48% of working time was envisioned to be spent at the office, and 46% at home.

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Table of Contents 1. Introduction ― 15 2. Survey Findings ― 20 Demographics ― 21 Before and Since WFH ― 22 WFH Experience and Office Transitioning ― 30

3. Analysis― 46 4. Further Considerations ― 68 5. Discussion and Next Steps ― 71 6. Appendix ― 75

→ WFH Set Up of a Perkins and Will London Employee

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1. Introduction

15

Introduction SURVEY SUMMARY

The AT HOME Survey was developed by the Perkins and Will HX Lab in collaboration with the London Planning and Strategies team. The purpose of the survey was to measure changes in Perkins and Will employees ways of working, wellbeing and effectiveness while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The At HOME Survey was issued to all Perkins and Will employees globally (N=2,412) on 20th May 2020, and closed on 1st June 2020. The survey yielded a response rate of 75% (N=1,814), making its insights and findings generalizable to the wider Perkins and Will workforce (at least 519 responses were required to allow for generalizability findings).

With an estimated duration of 5 minutes and a length of 18 questions, the survey was divided into 3 core modules: 1. Demographics 2. Before and Since WFH 3. WFH Experience and Office Transition

All staff online survey to all Perkins and Will studios globally Continents

Studios

Employees

6

26

2,412

When

20 May - 1 June 2020 Response Rate

Respondents

75%

1,814

Questions

Minutes to Take

18

5 16

INTRODUCTION

Module Overview The AT HOME Survey was divided into 3 core modules, giving insights into demographics, change of circumstances before and since WFH, general WFH Experience and Office Transitioning.

MODULE 01

MODULE 02

MODULE 03

Demographics

Before and Since WFH

6 Questions

5 Questions

WFH Experience and Office Transitioning 7 Questions

‒ Office/Studio

‒ Time of commute

‒ Time with firm

‒ Modes of transport

‒ Work settings

‒ Practice Area

‒ Time spent in different work locations

‒ Challenges when WFH

‒ Job grade ‒ Age ‒ Gender

‒ Support of Others ‒ Change in daily working hours

‒ Improvements when WFH ‒ Task effectiveness ‒ Social satisfaction ‒ WFH in the future ‒ Innovative design solutions

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INTRODUCTION

Response Rates and Respondent Demographics

75%

The survey achieved a response rate of 75%, allowing for findings to be generalizable to the wider Perkins and Will workforce*. All 26 Perkins and Will studios participated and yielded a low to high response rate, ranging from 6% to 100%. Studios with respondents lower than 5 were removed from the office comparative graphs for reporting purposes.

These include; Dublin, Monterrey and Shanghai. Response rates per studio is highlighted on the graph below. The headcount information, received by HR is dated 26 May 2020. The breakdown is available in Appendix D.

overall response rate

Studio representation with response rates 200 84%

180

91% 160 140

80%

89%

122% 104%

120

85%

100

94%

102%

84%

134%

80

77% 60

90%

94%

90%

40

96%

91%

67%

106%

41%

45%

20

78% 0

79% 100%

number of respondents % studio response rate *Generalizable response rate (based on a 5% margin of error at a 99% confidence level)

6%

100%

Note: Dublin, Monterrey, Shanghai not included in office comparison graphs (respondents <5). London response rate represent full active headcount hence a response rate > 100%.

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INTRODUCTION

Response Rates Per Practice Area

Architecture Interiors Administration/Operations

56% of Perkins and Will respondents work in Architecture, followed by Interiors (20%). A further 18% work in the remaining practice areas, whilst 6% responded as 'other'.

Other Marketing

The majority of Perkins and Will studios have representatives from at least Architecture and Interiors, the largest practice areas.

Urban Design/Landscape Architecture Planning and Strategies Branded Environments

Count of Q3 Studio

Overall

representation with response rates

Atlanta Atlanta Austin Austin Boston Boston Calgary Calgary Charlotte Charlotte Chicago Chicago Copenhagen Copenhagen Dallas Dallas Denver Denver Durham Durham Houston Houston London London Q3 Los Angeles Los Angeles Miami Miami Minneapolis Minneapolis New York New York Ottawa Ottawa San Francisco San Francisco Sao Paulo Sao Paulo Seattle Seattle Toronto Toronto Vancouver Vancouver Washington D.C. Washington DC

3%

2% 1%

Architect

4% Interiors

6%

Administ 8% Other

56%

Q5

20%

Architecture Interiors

Marketin

Urban D Architect

Planning

Branded

Administration/Operations Other Marketing

56%

Urban Design/Landscape Architecture Planning and Strategies Branded Environments

of respondents are from Architecture

Note: Dublin, Monterrey, Shanghai not included in office comparison 0% 0%

10% 10%

20% 20%

30% 30%

40% 40%

50% 50%

60% 60%

70% 70%

80% 80%

90% 90%

100% 100%

graphs (respondents <5) 19

2. Survey Findings

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SURVEY FINDINGS

Demographics

75%

42% of respondents have been with Perkins and Will for 2 years or less, with 43% of respondents working at an Associate Level or above. The largest age group is 25-34 years old, with a balanced gender split.

Tenure

Age

Seniority 3%

15%

7%

24%

3% 1%

Staff

5%

10%

35-44

Senior Associate

+10 years

45-54

53%

21%

20%

25-34

Under 25

Other 13%

Male

55-64

17% Associate Principal

Less than 3 months

Female

Largest Age Group

Principal

3-4 years 13% 4-11 months

46%

25-34

36%

5-9 years

52% 2% 2%

Associate9%

1-2 years

17%

Overall Response Rate

65+

Student Intern

29%

1-2 years

Staff

25-34

5-9 years

Associate

35-44

+10 years

Senior Associate

45-54

3-4 years

Principal

55-64

4-11 months

Associate Principal

Under 25

Less than 3 months

Other

65+

Student Intern

Prefer not to answer

Prefer not to answer

42% of respondents have been with Perkins and Will for 2 years or less

43% of respondents work at Associate Level or above

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KEY TAKEAWAYS Title Goes Here

Before andhere Sinceif Working From Home Subtitle needed

COVID-19 has brought about significant changes in Perkins and Will employees work and life. This varies according to pre-WFH experience and demographic.

Body Text

Time of Commute

Modes of Transport

Working Hours

Caretaking

The majority of Perkins and Will employees (48%) have a commute of up to 45 minutes.

The most popular modes of transport are driving a car, walking and taking the bus.

43% of Perkins and Will employees are taking care of one or more family members during COVID-19 WFH.

Shorter commute times often go hand in hand with more 'active' methods of transport i.e. walking/cycling.

25-34 year olds are more likely to walk or use the bus than other age brackets.

The majority of Perkins and Will employees are working longer, earlier and later since COVID-19. This is the case even for employees who have worked from home frequently pre-COVID-19.

Perkins and Will employees working longer hours (early start/late finish) are significantly more likely to be dissatisfied with their wellbeing since WFH.

They are significantly more likely to struggle with balancing non-work related commitments, background noise and visual privacy than those without family members to take care of.

2222

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BEFORE AND SINCE WORKING FROM HOME

Time of Commute Overview and Per Studio

Fewer than 30 minutes 30-45 minutes

The majority of Perkins and Will employees (68%) reported a commute time of up to 45 minutes. Perkins and Will employees working in Atlanta, Copenhagen, Dallas, Denver, Durham, Houston and Vancouver reported shorter commutes of 30 minutes or less, while employees working in London, Los Angeles and San Francisco report longer commute of 45 minutes and above.

45-60 minutes Greater than 60 minutes

Studio comparison

Overall 10%

Atlanta Atlanta Austin Austin Boston Boston Calgary Calgary Charlotte Charlotte Chicago Chicago Copenhagen Copenhagen Dallas Dallas Denver Denver Durham Durham Houston Houston London London Los Angeles Los Angeles Miami Miami Minneapolis Minneapolis New York New York Ottawa Ottawa Francisco SanSan Francisco Sao Paulo Sao Paulo Seattle Seattle Toronto Toronto Vancouver Vancouver Washington D.C. Washington DC 0% 0%

38% 22%

Fewer than 30 minutes 30-45 minutes

30%

45-60 minutes Greater than 60 minutes

68% of employees have commutes of 45 min or less

Note: Dublin, Monterrey, Shanghai 10% 10%

20% 20%

30% 30%

40% 40%

50% 50%

60% 60%

70% 70%

80% 80%

90% 90%

100% 100%

not included in office comparison graphs (respondents <5) 23

BEFORE AND SINCE WORKING FROM HOME

Modes of Transport â&#x20AC;&#x2022; Overview

Public Transport Private Vehicle

Public transport was the most popular way of getting to the office, used by 44% of Perkins and Will employees pre-COVID-19, such as train, tube/ subway, bus and/or ferry.

Active Other

Private and active modes of transport were less frequent (26% and 26% respectively), potentially due to larger distances between office and homes for the majority of Perkins and Will employees.

Other

4%

Active:

26%

Walk Run

44%

Cycle

Public transport Public Transport: Train Tube /Subway Bus Ferry

Private Active Other

44% of employees used public transport pre-COVID-19

26% Private Vehicle: Car Scooter 24

BEFORE AND SINCE WORKING FROM HOME

Modes of Transport Per Studio

Public Transport Private Vehicle

Perkins and Will employees typically get to the office by car, on foot or by bus, or a combination of the above.

London and New York had the highest proportion of employees using public transport to get to the office, while Perkins and Will employees in Copenhagen and Calgary were more likely to do so by active modes of transports.

Employees with a shorter commute of 30 minutes or less are more likely to use active forms of transportation, i.e. walking or cycling, while a longer commute is correlated with public transport and private vehicle use.

Active Other

Studio comparison Atlanta Atlanta Austin Austin Boston Boston Calgary Calgary Charlotte Charlotte Chicago Chicago Copenhagen Copenhagen Dallas Dallas Denver Denver Durham Durham Houston Houston London London Angeles LosLosAngeles Miami Miami Minneapolis Minneapolis New York New York Ottawa Ottawa Francisco SanSan Francisco SaoPaulo Paulo Sao Seattle Seattle Toronto Toronto Vancouver Vancouver Washington D.C. Washington DC 0%0%

Copenhagen uses the most active modes of transportation followed

by Calgary, Ottawa and Vancouver.

10% 10%

20% 20%

30% 30% Train

Tube/sub

40% 40% Bus

Ferry

50% 50% Car

Scooter

60% 60% Walk

Run

Cycle

70% 70% Other

80% 80%

90% 90%

100% 100%

Note: Dublin, Monterrey, Shanghai not included in office comparison graphs (respondents <5) 25

BEFORE AND SINCE WORKING FROM HOME

Time Spent at the Office/Client Site/WFH Pre-COVID-19

Work from the office Work from home

Pre-COVID-19, Perkins and Will employees spent the majority of their time (84%) working from the office, followed by working from home (10%). Age is a predictor of working from home, with employees aged 35 and above reporting higher frequencies of working from home than those aged 18-25.

Work from client site

Studio comparison

Overall

Atlanta Atlanta Austin Austin Boston Boston Calgary Calgary Charlotte Charlotte Chicago Chicago Copenhagen Copenhagen Dallas Dallas Denver Denver Durham Durham Houston Houston London London Los Angeles Los Angeles Miami Miami Minneapolis Minneapolis NewYork York New Ottawa Ottawa San Francisco San Francisco Paulo SaoSaoPaulo Seattle Seattle Toronto Toronto Vancouver Vancouver Washington D.C. Washington DC 0%0%

6% 10%

Office

84%

Home Client site

Washington D.C. and Minneapolis had the highest instances of WFH pre-COVID19, while Ottawa and Calgary had the lowest.

10% 10%

20% 20%

30% 30%

40% 40%

50% 50%

60% 60%

70% 70%

80% 80%

90% 90%

100% 100%

Note: Dublin, Monterrey, Shanghai not included in office comparison graphs (respondents <5) 26

BEFORE AND SINCE WORKING FROM HOME

Childcare and Caretaking Since WFH During COVID-19

0 1

45% of Perkins and Will employees are taking care of one or more family members during COVID-19 WFH. They were found to be significantly more likely to struggle with balancing non-work related commitments, background noise and visual privacy than those without family members to take care of. This finding is essential as open comments revealed that WFH perceptions would be different in 'normal' (non-COVID 19) times, where schools/nurseries or caring support operate as usual.

2 3+ Prefer not to say

Studio comparison

Overall

Atlanta Austin Boston Calgary Charlotte Chicago Copenhagen Dallas Denver Durham Houston London Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis New York Ottawa San Francisco Sao Paulo Seattle Toronto Vancouver Washington DC 0% 0%

8%

3%

14%

52%

0

23%

1 2 3+ Prefer not to answer

10% 10%

20% 20%

30% 30%

40% 40%

50% 50%

60% 60%

70% 70%

80% 80%

90% 90%

100% 100%

Note: Dublin, Monterrey, Shanghai not included in office comparison graphs (respondents <5) 27

BEFORE AND SINCE WORKING FROM HOME

Change In Daily Working Hours Since WFH

Adjusted hours Extended hours

The majority of Perkins and Will employees reported a change in working hours since WFH during COVID-19, with working later into the evening (53%), extended hours (51%) and starting earlier in the morning (37%) emerging as the top three responses. Further analysis revealed that Perkins and Will employees working longer hours (early start/late finish/less breaks) are significantly more likely to be dissatisfied with their well-being since WFH.

Same as before Less as before Other

Overall Responses

Overall

Work later in the evening

6%

53%

Extended hours

51%

Start earlier in the morning

2%

14%

42%

Same hours as before

37%

Increased breaks

52%

26%

Limited breaks

21%

Other

26%

16%

Start later in the morning

12%

Finish earlier in the day

10%

Shortened hours

6% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Increased working hours are a consistent trend throughout the workforce, but the reasons behind them vary.

28

BEFORE AND SINCE WORKING FROM HOME

Change in Daily Working Hoursâ&#x20AC;&#x2022;Open Comments While increased working hours are a consistent trend throughout the workforce, regardless of age or seniority level, the reasons behind them vary significantly, from an influx of digital communication during hours that would be used for individual focused work, caregiving responsibilities due to school/ nursery closures and/or other caring arrangements not operating as usual and an inability to separate work from personal life, often fueled by an 'always-on' culture of digital visibility.

"Work hours extend to all times of day and all days of the week. Normal work hours are often overloaded with emails and team meetings and days are needed for actual productive work."

"Work is always right there, it's hard to stop in the evening.

Separating work and personal life has been a big struggle."

"A main difference is that as I now have others to care for during the day, my lunchtimes and dinner, after work I am completely unable to work or partake in extra-curricular work-related activities."

"Being at home and mobile, the culture of work has made it easier for teams and admittedly myself to 'just keep working'. " 29

KEY TAKEAWAYS

WFH Experience and Office Transitioning

Despite seeing a decrease in sense of belonging and sense of connectedness since WFH, an increased satisfaction with firmwide communication is reported.

Top WFH Challenges

WFH Improvements

Task Effectiveness

Culture/Social Factors

Top challenges since WFH included dis-satisfactory ergonomics, lack of physical activity/exercise and inability to balance non-work related commitments.

Top things that have improved for Perkins and Will employees since WFH include environmental comfort and balancing non-work related commitments for some.

Phone calls, reading and writing reported highest improvements in task effectiveness.

Greater decline in satisfaction with culture/social factors than with task effectiveness.

Only a fraction of responses were 'somewhat' or 'a lot less effective'.

Culture and sense of belonging highest decline since WFH.

Spatial and lifestyle factors are linked, with employees struggling with balancing non-work related commitments more likely to report lower energy levels.

Interestingly, concentration is seen as both a key challenge and the biggest improvement since WFH, with greater choice in surroundings and noise levels aiding concentration, and increased digitalization hindering it.

Despite seeing a decrease in sense of belonging and sense of connectedness since WFH, Perkins and Will employees reported increased satisfaction levels with firmwide communication.

30

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Work Settings Dedicated Shared

The majority of Perkins and Will employees work at a dedicated desk/table (60%), a dedicated room (44%) and/or a room shared with adults (26%). The type of work setting when WFH was found to impact WFH experience and task effectiveness, with employees working at a desk/ table and sofa/couch/recliner/chair shared for other household activities significantly more likely to report issues with concentration. Atlanta, Austin, Minneapolis and Houston have the highest proportion of employees working from a sofa/couch.

Other

Overall responses

Overall Dedicated desk/table

60%

Dedicated room

5%

44%

Room shared with adults

26%

Sofa/Couch/Recliner/Chair

14%

Desk/table shared with children/students

14%

Desk/table shared with adults

33%

62%

12%

Other

10%

Room shared with children/students

9%

Bed

Dedicated

4%

Desk/table shared for other household activities

Other

62%

3% 0%

Shared

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

of employees work from a dedicated work setting during COVID-19

31

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Key Challenges Versus Improvements Since WFH Challenges

Open comments analysis revealed that, while lack of noise when WFH aids concentration, heightened digital availability (Teams, calls, meetings) has led to focus issues. The same goes for balancing non-work related commitments - the key difference in whether this is seen as a challenge or an improvement lies in whether employees take care of others during the working day, with caretakers more likely to report a struggle since WFH during COVID-19.

Challenges versus Improvements

Improvements

Balancing non-work related commitments and being able to concentrate were seen as the biggest challenge for some, but the biggest improvement for others.

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20%

Challenges - % Sele

10%

Improvements - % S

0%

ics

om

n

go Er

32

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Key WFH Challenges

Ergonomics

Perkins and Will employees' key challenges when WFH during COVID-19 related to dis-satisfactory ergonomics (63%), lack of physical activity/exercise (49%) and inability to balance non-work related commitments (38%).

Environmental Lifestyle Physical and mental state

Employees struggling with ergonomics were more likely to report dissatisfaction with availability of workspace and environmental comfort. Employees struggling with balancing non-work related commitments were more likely to report lower energy levels.

Technology Other

Overall responses

Overall

Ergonomics (Furniture, movement, standing)

63%

Physical activity/exercise Balancing non-work related commitments

35%

Technology

33%

Concentration

31%

Energy levels

15%

27%

Background noise

25%

Proximity to other

22%

24%

Availability of workspace

22%

Speech privacy

23%

12%

Daylight (Glare, sunshine, temperature)

8%

Comfort (Thermal, air, humidity)

Visual privacy

22%

9%

38%

Other

Electrical lighting (Visual acuity, brightness)

9%

49%

7% 5% 3%

63% of employees struggle with ergonomics since working from home.

33

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Key WFH Challengesâ&#x20AC;&#x2022;Open Comments Open comments revealed that the inability to separate work from home, an influx of digital communication and reduced support for specialist tasks has presented further challenges since WFH.

"Distraction from increase in phone calls/IM's/additional meetings"

"It's hard to separate work and personal life since my desk is in my bedroom. My brain is still on when I want to sleep."

"There is a lack of commonly used design tools such as model building equipment, trace paper, pin-up space.

"I feel there is a lack of stimulation/variety of tasks. In WFH, I spend much more time on the computer, and for long uninterrupted stretches."

I miss collaborating with my team, sketching and collaborating."

34

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Key WFH Improvements

Environmental Ergonomics

Top things that have improved for Perkins and Will employees since WFH include concentration (46%), environmental comfort (45%) and balancing non-work related commitments (44%).

Lifestyle Physical and mental state Technology Other

Overall responses

Overall Concentration

46%

Comfort (Thermal, air, humidity)

44%

Physical activity/exercise

19%

34%

Visual privacy

29%

Background noise

29%

Daylight (Glare, sunshine, temperature)

29%

Energy levels

24%

Other

49%

21%

21%

Proximity to others

11%

Availability of workspace

Ergonomics (Furniture, movement, standing)

4%

34%

Speech privacy

Electrical lighting (Visual acuity, brightness)

6%

45%

Balancing non-work related commitments

Technology

1%

10% 5% 5% 4%

Key improvements relate to environmental factors such as comfort, speech privacy and visual privacy

35

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Key WFH Improvementsâ&#x20AC;&#x2022;Open Comments A major improvement since WFH was related to the increase in quality time spent with loved ones since WFH, leading to a higher degree of connectedness. Energy levels have further improved for some, with a greater focus placed on personal life commitments.

"Realizing energy levels contradict each other, [...]

When working in the studio, the energy is the hustle/ adrenaline/inspiration; when WFH, the energy is more physical since commuting and getting around the city takes a physical toll which leaves me depleted at the end of the day."

"Not wasting two hours each day commuting! I can get more work done every day, and get more (and better) sleep every night!"

"Balance. (Somewhat) I am working longer hours but I do feel I get to see my young children more and I love that."

"Overall happiness to see family members and quality of time spent with them."

36

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Task Effectiveness Since WFH More effective Somewhat more effective

Perkins and Will employees reported significant improvements in individual focus tasks, such as reading (58% view as more effective), writing (56% view as more effective) and computationrelated data tasks (43% view as more effective). Team-based communication was also seen as more effective or having no impact since working from home, with phone calls (57%), small group meetings (38%) and team communication (44%) scoring high on effectiveness. On the other hand, tasks related to larger-scale, formal meetings and client interactions are seen as less effective.

No impact Somewhat less effective Less effective

The open comments for 'other' referred to a variety of challenges or improvements in relation to task effectiveness. Further analysis will be carried out to define key overarching themes.

Individual focus work and team-based communication is on the up since WFH, while client engagement activities and ideation seen as less effective.

Overall task effectiveness satisfaction Reading Writing Phone calls Computation - data related tasks Other Computation - design related tasks Communications/team chats Small group meetings Hand drawing/sketching Large group meetings Formal presentations/workshops Project/team management Project leadership (e.g. project manager, line manager) Client engagement activities Ideation and charettes 0% More effective

10%

20%

Somewhat more effective

30% No impact

40%

50%

60%

Somewhat less effective

70%

80%

90%

100%

Less effective 37

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Task Effectiveness Since WFHâ&#x20AC;&#x2022;Average Per Activity

Average task effectiveness

The graph below shows the average effectiveness per task for all Perkins and Will studios. Tasks scoring below 0% are seen as less effective, and this related predominantly to larger-scale, formal meetings and client interactions.

Low satisfaction

High satisfaction

Overall task effectiveness satisfaction 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% -20% -40% -60% -80% -100%

38

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Satisfaction with Cultural and Social Features Since WFH

A lot more satisfied Somewhat more satisfied

Factors influencing personal choice of structuring the work day and dedicating time for oneself have improved since WFH, with Perkins and Will employees reporting increased satisfaction with work-life balance (58%) and well-being (49%). Contrastingly, aspects relating to the sense of belonging and sense of connectedness have decreased the most, such as culture (11%) , team identity (14%) and sense of belonging (13%).

No impact Somewhat less satisfied A lot less satisfied

While WFH has allowed for an increased focus on well-being, sense of connectedness has declined.

Overall cultural and social satisfaction features

Work-life balance Firm-wide communication Wellbeing Team communication Team identity Sense of belonging Career growth Culture 0% A lot more satisfied

10%

20%

30%

Somewhat more satisfied

40% No Impact

50%

60%

70%

Somewhat less satisfied

80%

90%

100%

A lot less satisfied 39

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Satisfaction with Cultural and Social Features Since WFH―Average Per Feature Average social and culture

The graph below shows the average satisfaction per cultural and social feature for all Perkins and Will studios. Features scoring below 0% are seen as less satisfactory, and this related predominantly to sense of belonging and team identity.

Overall cultural and social satisfaction features

Task Effectiveness Score

High satisfaction

PW AVERAGE

100% 80% 60% 40% 20%

Low satisfaction

0% -20% -40% -60% -80% -100%

40

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Work Location Pre- and Post-COVID-19

Work from the office Work from home

Before COVID-19, Perkins and Will employees spent 10% of their working hours working from home on average, and 84% at the office. Post-COVID-19, hypothetical numbers have changed significantly, with Perkins and Will employees feeling they would be able to work effectively from home 48% of the time, and would only need to be at the office 46% of the time, on average.

Before WFH

Work from client site

Appetite Post-COVID

6%

6% 10%

Home

Office

48%

Home Client site

46%

Office

Client site More even distribution of time spent between home and office in the future

84% Prevalence of office work pre-COVID-19 for the majority of employees

41

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Work Location Post-COVID-19 by Studio

Work from home

The studios with the highest prevalence of home working pre-COVID 19 were Washington DC and Minneapolis. Post-COVID-19, the average time envisioned to be spent working from home was the highest in Toronto, Los Angeles and San Francisco. There is no correlation between mobility pre-COVID-19 and mobility post-COVID-19 for studios, with all studios envisioning a more balanced distribution of home/office, regardless of work locations pre-COVID-19.

Work from the office Work from client site

Studio comparison Atlanta Atlanta Austin Austin Boston Boston Calgary Calgary Charlotte Charlotte Chicago Chicago Copenhagen Copenhagen Dallas Dallas Denver Denver Durham Durham Houston Houston London London Los Angeles Los Angeles Miami Miami Minneapolis Minneapolis New York New York Ottawa Ottawa San Francisco San Francisco Sao Paulo Sao Paulo Seattle Seattle Toronto Toronto Vancouver Vancouver Washington DC Washington D.C.

Home Office Client site

0% 0%

10% 10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

42

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

Work Location Pre- and Post-COVID-19 by Practice Areas

Work from the office Work from home

Pre-COVID 19, Marketing (15%) and Planning and Strategies (14%) spent the most amount of time working from home out of all practice areas, with Urban Design/Landscape Architecture spending the least amount time working from home (6%). Post-COVID-19, appetite for working from home has increased for all practice areas, with Administration/ Operations (53%) and Urban Design/Landscape Architecture (53%) reporting the greatest increase between pre and post-COVID-19 working from home preferences.

Work from client site

Practice Areas Comparison Administration/Operations

Architecture

Practice areas with less WFH experience report higher levels of Homeappetite for WFH post-COVID-19.

Branded Environments

Interiors

Office Client site

Marketing

Planning and Strategies

Urban Design/Landscape Architecture 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

43

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

What do you miss most out of the office?

Social and People features Work environments

Perkins and Will employees miss the social aspects of office life the most since WFH during COVID-19, with 'social interactions', 'my team/colleagues' and 'team collaboration' taking the top three spots. Contrastingly, physical work settings and office surrounding amenities (e.g. coffee, shops, fitness) are missed least.

Work life balance Close by amenities Other

Social interactions

Overall

81%

My team/colleagues

5%

70%

Team collaboration

10%

62%

In person meetings

2%

53%

Ability to separate work and personal life

Social &

52%

Access to printing facilities

Work en

50%

Office ergonomics

51%

Close by

46%

Access to materials and products

Other

43%

Office work settings

Work life

32%

31%

Access to amenities (e.g. coffee, shops, fitness)

28%

Other

12% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Social aspects of the office and creating a separation between work and life missed more than the physical built environment, amenities and facilities.

44

WFH EXPERIENCE AND OFFICE TRANSITIONING

What do you miss most out of the office?â&#x20AC;&#x2022;Open Comments Open comments further revealed that they miss the office as an enabler of informal, impromptu interactions, as well as the ability to separate work from personal life, thus the office providing boundaries and separation between these two spheres.

Design workshopping via quick sketches; also "unplanned" conversations and interactions.

Most of my issues are more related to schools being closed and having a 5 year old than actual work / technology aspects.

Mostly I miss having the flexibility of working from home when I need to really focus on something. Now that we have all proven that we are very productive it is no longer taboo. I look forward to having my work life balance back and redefining the clear boundaries of keeping work at work unless otherwise decided.

The unexpected interactions at coffee bar or just in passing.

45

3. Analysis

46

AGE ANALYSIS

What is the effect of age on WFH experience during COVID-19?

Every age group experiences different struggles and wins when WFH, often due to correlating socioeconomic and lifestyle factors.

18-25

25-34

This age group reported highest improvements in satisfaction with cultural connectedness and communication, possibly due to lack of companyidentification associated with tenures of under a year. They are the most likely to use their bed or sofa as their primary work setting, leading to the highest ergonomical issues and possible lack of boundaries between work and life.

As a technology-savvy generation, sense of team identity and communication has improved for the majority of Perkins and Will employees aged 25-34. Greater struggles come in the form of a lack of interpersonal connectedness, loneliness and anxiety, as well as fear of lack of career growth opportunities since WFH.

35-54 With the majority (60%) of this age bracket taking care of one or more family members since WFH, key issues were frequently associated with school/nursery closures due to COVID-19. A higher seniority level has led to an omnipresence of meetings, calls and teamcheck ins which has further increased fatigue for many.

55+ The only generation less likely to struggle with balancing nonwork related commitments and most likely to be able to work from a dedicated room, key issues for Baby Boomers arise in factors relating to culture, team identity and sense of connectedness, as well as IT and environmental issues, i.e. visual strains due to electrical lighting, visual acuity and brightness.

47

AGE PROFILE

18-24 years Average Tenure with Perkins And Will

<1 year

I like the increased flexibility home working brings and that I have a better morning routine.

Have Family Members that Need Their Attention

Not knowing when to stop work, loneliness and monotony are my key struggles since WFH.

24% How they work

Average Commute Time

<30min

Most Common Modes of Transport

32%

2% 4% 1% 1%

Dedicated desk/table

7%

Dedicated room Dedicated desk/table

Tube/Subway, Car

32%

Room shared with adults

15%

12%

Desk/table shared with children/students Sofa/Couch/Recliner/Chair

Desk shared for other activities Desk/table shared with adults

What They Miss Most about the Office

Other

Room shared with children/students

Mentoring, Office Ergonomics, Structured Interactions Top 3 Challenges since WFH

➀ Ergonomics ➁ Concentration ➂ Physical activity/exercise

14%

12% 15%

Dedicated room Bed

14%

Top 3 Improvements since WFH

➀ Comfort ➁ Physical activity/exercise Balancing non-work ➂ related commitments

Appetite for WFH in the Future Office

WFH

Client Site

Before WFH 94%

4% 2%

Post-COVID

40%

Home

58%

2%

Office Client site 48

AGE PROFILE

25-34 years Average Tenure with Perkins And Will

1-2 years

Have Family Members that Need Their Attention

I think being at home constantly has muddled work-life balance. Arriving to the office and having hard stops with commute times and business hours made "leaving things at the door" much easier.

I feel like I am on the clock 24/7 and constant fear of layoff with greatly reduced career prospects.

30% How they work

Average Commute Time

<30min

Most Common Modes of Transport

Car, Walk, Bus

3% 2%

33%

3%0%

Dedicated desk/table

7%

Dedicated room Dedicated desk/table

33%

Room shared with adults

19%

8%

Desk/table shared with children/students Sofa/Couch/Recliner/Chair

Dedicated room

17% Other

Room shared with children/students

Organic Interaction Opportunities, Sense of Connectedness, Career Opportunities Top 3 Challenges since WFH

➀ Ergonomics ➁ Physical activity/exercise ➂ Concentration

Desk/table shared with adults

8%

What They Miss Most about the Office

Top 3 Improvements since WFH

➀ Comfort Balancing non-work ➁ related commitments ➂ Concentration

17%

19%

Room shared with adults Bed

Appetite for WFH in the Future Office

WFH

Client Site

Before WFH 6% 4%

90%

Post-COVID

48%

Home

48%

5%

Office Client site

49

AGE PROFILE

35-54 years Average Tenure with Perkins And Will

10+ years

Have Family Members that Need Their Attention

Work hours extend to all times of day and all days of the week.

Normal work hours are often overloaded with calls, emails, and Teams meetings and off hours and days are needed for actual productive work.

60%

My working hours vary by day, depending on family childcare availability. I often start work slightly later in the morning, finish slightly earlier in the afternoon, and resume for an evening session after our daughter goes to bed.

How they work Average Commute Time

<30min

Most Common Modes of Transport

8%

29%

1% 3%

Dedicated desk/table

29%

6%

Car, Subway, Train

Dedicated room Dedicated desk/table Room shared with adults

23%

5%

Desk/table shared with children/students Sofa/Couch/Recliner/Chair

Dedicated room

6%

What They Miss Most about the Office

➀ Ergonomics ➁ Physical activity/exercise Balancing non-work ➂ related commitments

12% Other

7%

Room shared with children/students

Structured Team Leadership, Lower Levels of Digital Interaction Top 3 Challenges since WFH

Desk/table shared with adults

Top 3 Improvements since WFH

➀ Concentration Balancing non-work ➁ related commitments ➂ Comfort

23%

12%

Room shared with adults Bed

Appetite for WFH in the Future Office

WFH

Before WFH

Client Site Office

80%

13% 7%

Home Client site

Post-COVID

50%

Home

43%

7%

Office Client site

50

AGE PROFILE

55+ years Average Tenure with Perkins And Will

10+ years

Have Family Members that Need Their Attention

Our Internet bandwidth at this apartment complex is not strong enough to run Revit, and have issues with video calls, InDesign, or anything other than Internet and emails.

I need more validation of effective communication at all levels-- with teams, with peers, with leadership.

39% How they work

Average Commute Time

<30min

Most Common Modes of Transport

Car, Train, Walk

8%

35%

1% 1% 1%

Dedicated desk/table

3% 32%

4%

Dedicated room Dedicated room Room shared with adults

32%

4%

Desk/table shared with children/students Sofa/Couch/Recliner/Chair

Dedicated desk/table Desk/table shared with adults

11%

What They Miss Most about the Office

11% Other

Room shared with children/students

Room shared with adults Bed

Office Technology, Sense of Company Connectedness Top 3 Challenges since WFH

➀ Physical activity/exercise ➁ Ergonomics ➂ Technology

Top 3 Improvements since WFH

➀ Concentration Balancing non-work ➁ related commitments ➂ Speech privacy

35%

Appetite for WFH in the Future Office

WFH

Before WFH

Client Site Office

75%

13%

12%

Home Client site

Post-COVID

46%

Home

45%

10%

Office Client site

51

KEY TAKEAWAYS

WFH Effectiveness vs. Efficiency

Perkins and Will employees report higher effectiveness since WFHâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but increased working hours and influx of digital communication may impact long-term efficiency.

The two 'effs' While they may sound similar, efficiency and effectiveness measure two separate concepts.

Effectiveness is defined as the level of results achieved, while efficiency is defined as the time used to achieve the result.

Task Effectiveness

Working Hours

Collaboration

Practice Areas

Perceived task effectiveness has

Increase in effectiveness may have come at the cost of longer working hours, with almost half of Perkins and Will employees (51%) reporting working longer hours since COVID-19.

While digital communication has increased in effectiveness, especially phone calls and team communications - this influx of digital connectedness has lead to decreased energy levels for pockets of the workforce.

While task effectiveness has increased for the majority of Perkins and Will employees, further analysis showed variance in task effectiveness by practice area.

remained unchanged or even increased since working from home for the majority of employees.

In particular individual, focus heavy tasks have reported wins. Caregivers report the greatest changes in preCOVID-19 WFH task effectiveness, and are most likely to struggle with background noise and concentration.

Long-term consequences of continuous over-work may include feeling of burnout and decreased productivity, making this shift a 'yellow flag' to watch closely.

Concerted effort should therefore be made to maintain digital team communications while avoiding the trend of 'over-communicating'.

Most notably, Architecture feel less effective at hand drawing/ sketching, while Branded Environments struggle with data and computation.

52

WFH EFFECTIVENESS VS. EFFICIENCY

WFH Effectiveness Overall task effectiveness has not been impacted or increased by home working for the majority of Perkins and Will employees, in particular for individual, focus-heavy tasks such as reading (58% report slight to major improvements) and writing (56% report slight to major improvements).

3.1

Individual, focus work and phone calls reported greatest gains since WFH.

Overall Task Effectiveness Score*

+58%

Overall effectiveness improved since WFH

Reading

+57%

Phone Calls

+56%

Writing

+43% Data Tasks

*Based on a Likert Scale of 1 (= a lot less effective) to 5 (= a lot more effective), a score of 3.1 relates to a an average improvement of 1.1 points in task effectiveness since working from home.

53

WFH EFFECTIVENESS VS. EFFICIENCY

WFH Efficiency: Changes In Working Hours While perceived effectiveness has increased for many tasks, this has come at a cost in respect to working hours for some Perkins and Will employees, with 51% reporting working extended hours since the COVID-19 outbreak, 52% working later in the evening and 42% starting earlier in the morning.

51% of employees indicated their working hours have increased since WFH

Heightened effectiveness has come at the detriment of hours spent delivering work, with a significant increase reported

53% of employees reported working later in the evening since WFH

Work later in the evening

53%

Extended hours

51%

Start earlier in the morning

21%

42%

Same hours as before

37%

Increased breaks

of employees reported taking limited breaks since WFH

26%

Limited breaks

21%

Other

16%

Start later in the morning

12%

Finish earlier in the day

10%

Shortened hours

6% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

54

WFH EFFECTIVENESS VS. EFFICIENCY

WFH Efficiency: Digital Collaboration The majority of Perkins and Will employees reported an increase in the effectiveness of digital collaboration and communication, such as phone calls and small group meetings. However, further analysis into open comments revealed that this influx in communication has negatively impacted Perkins and Will employees work patterns and well-being, with a proportion of staff reporting moving tasks to later in the day and feeling overwhelmed with the need to be 'always on'.

This increase in 'always-on' communication is recommended to be addressed to ensure it does not decrease energy levels and efficiency in the long run.

Digital communication has increased in effectiveness.

+57%

Phone calls

+44%

Communication/ Team Chats

However, the influx of phone calls and meetings has negatively impacted parts of the workforce.

Having less stringent dedicated time has also increased the frequency of meetings - often times unproductive and very difficult to multi-task through.

I am finding my day jam-packed with even more calls.

+38%

Small group meetings

It takes mental strength to change subject every 30 min.

Prior to WFH, meetings and conversations felt more purposeful and dedicated to a time slot, to a place of meeting, etc., and definitely felt more efficient.

55

WFH EFFECTIVENESS VS. EFFICIENCY

WFH Efficiency: Well-Being Measures

A lot more satisfied Somewhat more satisfied

Work-life balance and well-being has increased for a large proportion of the Perkins and Will workforce since WFH. However, there is a proportion of the workforce reporting a somewhat to significant decline in satisfaction in worklife balance and well-being, a trend which may be related to the increase in working hours and digitisation of communication since WFH, as well as a growing inability to separate work from personal life.

No impact Somewhat less satisfied A lot less satisfied

Culture, sense of belonging and team identity have all decreased since WFHâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;most notably in spite of increased team and firmwide communication, indicating that other influences are at play when it comes to holistic and cultural factors of the workplace experience.

Work-life balance and well-being have improved for a large proportion of the workforce, while sense of connectedness has decreased since WFH

Work-life balance Firm-wide communication Wellbeing Team communication Team identity Sense of belonging Career growth Culture 0% 0% A lot more satisfied

10% 10%

20% 20%

30% 30%

Somewhat more satisfied

40% 40% No Impact

50% 50%

60% 60%

70% 70%

Somewhat less satisfied

80% 80%

90% 90%

A lot less satisfied

100% 100% 56

WFH EFFECTIVENESS VS. EFFICIENCY

WFH Efficiency: Well-Being Measures A key issue for the proportion of Perkins and Will employees struggling with their work-life balance and well-being since WFH relates to managing output expectations that have remained the same since pre-COVID-19, separating work and personal life, drawing boundaries around break times and finishing work on time since WFH. Contrary to expectations, an 'always-on' culture leads to decreased productivity in work tasks, and exacerbates the insurgence of burn out. It is therefore recommended concerted efforts are placed on managing workloads by leadership, as well as transparency in communications around well-being to staff.

I struggle with expectations that the team output will match office output and the fact that work is always right there - it's hard to stop in the evening Separation of work and personal life has been a big struggle.

I look forward to having my work life balance back and redefining the clear boundaries of keeping work at work unless otherwise decided.

It can paradoxically be harder to break. I am in back-to-back virtual meetings with little to no time to get up, stretch, or take a breather unless I block time out as "unavailable" in my calendar.

Feeling of having to be constantly 'on': the constant emails and Teams meetings are too much. Focus time has been consumed by too much connection.

57

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Practice Areas Analysis

Perkins and Will practice areas report great similarities in WFH experience and future WFH appetite.

Task Effectiveness

Top Challenges

Top Improvements

Future WFH Appetite

Individual focused work such as

Employees in all practice areas struggled the most with ergonomics, physical activity/exercise, and balancing non-work related commitments.

Balancing non-work related commitments, concentration, comfort and speech privacy were among the key improvements since WFH for the majority of the practice areas.

While the majority of practice areas reported an appetite for working from home moving forward, Branded Environments, Interiors, Architecture and Administration/Operations had a higher proportion of staff reporting that they would want to work from the office more than other practice areas.

reading, writing and data-related task has increased in effectiveness for all practice areas, with reading increased the most on average for all. Ideation and charettes were seen as the least effective on average since WFH for all practice areas, particularly for Branded

Architecture and Planning and Strategies showed the highest struggle with balancing non-work related commitments.

Background noise was seen as improved for Branded Environments and Planning and Strategies.

Environments, Urban Design, Interiors and Architecture.

Note: Respondents who selected 'Other' as Practice Area not included in this section.

58

PRACTICE AREAS ANALYSIS

Task Effectiveness The graph below shows the average task effectiveness per practice area. There is a consistent pattern with practice areas reporting higher effectiveness with individual tasks and lower effectiveness with collaborative tasks. On average, phone calls and reading scored the highest on task effectiveness, whilst ideation and charettes scored the lowest.

Administration/Operations Architecture Perkins and Will average Branded Environments

100% 80% 60% 40%

Interiors reported the highest increase in writing and computational datarelated tasks

Interiors Marketing Planning and Strategies

Administration/Operations reported the highest increase in small group meetings

Urban Design/Landscape Architecture

20% 0% -20% -40% -60% -80% -100%

53

PRACTICE AREAS ANALYSIS

What do you miss most out of the office?

Social and People features Work environment

The graph below shows the features Perkins and Will employees miss most about the office. There is a consistent pattern with practice areas missing social features of office life the most since WFH with 'social interactions', 'my team/colleagues' and 'team collaboration' taking the top three spots for all practice areas. Contrastingly, access to office surrounding amenities (e.g. coffee, shops, fitness) are missed least.

Work life balance Close by amenities Other

100% 100% 90% 90% 80% 80% 70% 70% 60% 60% 50% 50% 40% 40% 30% 30% 20% 20%

Other

Other

Access to amenities (e.g. coffee, shops, fitness)

Access to amenities (e.g. c

Ability to separate work and personal life

Ability to separate work a

Access to printing facilities

Access to printing facilities

Access to materials and products

Access to materials and pr

Office work settings

Office work settings

Office ergonomics

Office ergonomics

My team/colleagues

My team/colleagues

In person meetings

In person meetings

Team collaboration

Team collaboration

Social interactions

Social interactions

10% 10% 0%

0% Administrations/ Operations

Architecture

Branded Environments

Interiors

Marketing

Planning and Strategies

Urban Design/ Landscape Architecture

54

PRACTICE AREAS ANALYSIS

Mobility Post-COVID-19â&#x20AC;&#x2022;Average Number of Days

Work from the office Work from home

The graph below shows the average number of days in a week individuals would want to work from the different location, post-COVID-19. There is a consistent pattern overall, with Branded Environments, Interiors, Architecture and Administration/Operations reporting a higher desire to work from the office more than other practice areas. Planning and Strategies and Marketing reported a lower appetite to work from the office, which may well be linked to the nature of the roles.

100%100%

0.4

90% 90%

0.1 0.9

0.5

Work from client site

0.5

80% 80% 70% 70%

Other

4.5

4.0

3.5

3.4

3.9

60% 60%

Access to amenities (e.g. coffee, shops, fitness) 4.0 3.5 Ability to separate work and personal life Access to printing facilities

50% 50% 40% 40%

Access to materials and products

Client

Office work settings

Home

Office ergonomics

Office

My team/colleagues In person meetings

30% 30% 20% 20%

0.1

0.5

Team collaboration

3.2

2.7

3.0

3.5

3.6

Interiors

Branded Environments

3.5 Social interactions

3.5

10% 10% 0% 0% Urban Design/ Landscape Architecture

Planning and Strategies

Marketing

Architecture

Administrations/ Operations

55

PRACTICE AREAS ANALYSIS

Administration/Operations Average Tenure with Perkins And Will

10+ years Headcount (as of May 26,2020)

312

Have Family Members that Need Their Attention

Appetite for WFH in the Future

54%

Office

Pre-COVID Response Rate

47% (148 respondents)

13%

1%

1%

Office 46%

Home

53%

Client site

Reading highest increase in effectiveness, Client Engagement least effective

➀ Ergonomics ➁ Physical activity/exercise ➂ Energy levels ➃ Technology ➄ Background noise

Client Site

Post-COVID

Task Effectiveness since WFH

Top 5 Challenges since WFH

WFH

86%

Top 5 Improvements since WFH

➀ Concentration Balancing non-work ➁ related commitments

➂ Physical activity/exercise ➃ Comfort ➄ Speech privacy

I am able to participate in more company meetings now that they are online I feel more connected to the company and what we are accomplishing.

Less inclined to take lunch breaks.

But this is a personal decision.

The office does encourage us to take needed breaks.

Lack of stimulation/variety of tasks. In WFH, I spend much more time on the computer, and for long uninterrupted stretches.

56

PRACTICE AREAS ANALYSIS

Architecture Average Tenure with Perkins And Will

1-2 years Headcount (as of May 26,2020)

1320

Have Family Members that Need Their Attention

Appetite for WFH in the Future

47%

Office

Pre-COVID Response Rate

74% (979 respondents)

7%

7%

9%

Office Home

Reading highest increase in effectiveness, Ideation and Charettes least effective

➀ Ergonomics ➁ Physical activity/exercise Balancing non-work ➂ related commitments ➃ Other ➄ Technology

Client Site

Post-COVID

Task Effectiveness since WFH

Top 5 Challenges since WFH

WFH

47%

46%

Client site

84%

Top 5 Improvements since WFH

➀ Comfort ➁ Concentration Balancing non-work ➂ related commitments

➃ Speech privacy ➄ Physical activity/exercise

Communication with remote team members in other offices has greatly improved, since we are all using the same platform for meetings.

Seeing each other and having other conversations. The collision of ideas by proximity is missing.

Team bonding (conversations became more personal and deeper connections!) since WFH. 57

PRACTICE AREAS ANALYSIS

Branded Environments Average Tenure with Perkins And Will

>1 year; 10+ years Headcount (as of May 26,2020)

21

Have Family Members that Need Their Attention

Appetite for WFH in the Future

41%

Office

Pre-COVID Response Rate

81% (17 respondents)

8%

7%

7%

Office

➄ Other

45%

Home Client site

Writing highest increase in effectiveness, Ideation and Charettes least effective

➀ Ergonomics ➁ Physical activity/exercise ➂ Technology Balancing non-work ➃ related commitments

Client Site

Post-COVID

Task Effectiveness since WFH

Top 5 Challenges since WFH

WFH

48%

85%

Top 5 Improvements since WFH

Balancing non-work ➀ related commitments

➁ Background noise ➂ Comfort ➃ Physical activity/exercise ➄ Concentration

Printing. I don't own a printer and took for granted how much we use 11 x 17 sets for final proofing/record sets.

Blocks of time without interruptions, groundhog day effect (no variation between days). COVID WFH has more challenges than normal WFH (I had no challenges working from home prior to COVID) 58

PRACTICE AREAS ANALYSIS

Interiors Average Tenure with Perkins And Will

1-2 years Headcount (as of May 26,2020)

470

Have Family Members that Need Their Attention

Appetite for WFH in the Future

39%

Office

Pre-COVID Response Rate

80% (354 respondents)

Top 5 Challenges since WFH

➀ Ergonomics ➁ Physical activity/exercise ➂ Other ➃ Technology Balancing non-work ➄ related commitments

Client Site

Post-COVID

7%

6%

10%

Office

Task Effectiveness since WFH

Home

Phone calls highest increase in effectiveness, Ideation and Charettes least effective

WFH

47%

47%

Client site

83%

Top 5 Improvements since WFH

Balancing non-work ➀ related commitments

➁ Concentration ➂ Comfort ➃ Physical activity/exercise ➄ Speech privacy

While sketching at home by myself is just as easy as the office, sketching with other team members to brainstorm design ideas has been difficult.

Communication through the filter of technology does impact spontaneity and understanding/hearing unspoken messages.

59

PRACTICE AREAS ANALYSIS

Marketing Average Tenure with Perkins And Will

1-2 years Headcount (as of May 26,2020)

107

Have Family Members that Need Their Attention

Appetite for WFH in the Future

45%

Office

Response Rate

75% (80 respondents)

Pre-COVID

1%

15%

40% Office

Home

Writing highest increase in effectiveness, Larger Group Meetings and Ideation and Charettes least effective

➀ Ergonomics ➁ Physical activity/exercise Balancing non-work ➂ related commitments ➃ Background noise ➄ Other

Client Site

Post-COVID

Task Effectiveness since WFH

Top 5 Challenges since WFH

WFH

Client site

59%

85%

Top 5 Improvements since WFH

➀ Comfort ➁ Concentration Balancing non-work ➂ related commitments

➃ Physical activity/exercise ➄ Energy levels

Lack of microconversations and connection with team.

Lag from server to home when dealing with high res files/graphics.

Lacking in-person human connection.

60

PRACTICE AREAS ANALYSIS

Planning and Strategies Average Tenure with Perkins And Will

1-2 years Headcount (as of May 26,2020)

115

Have Family Members that Need Their Attention

Appetite for WFH in the Future

40%

Office

Response Rate

WFH

Pre-COVID

Post-COVID

13%

11%

Client Site

43% (50 respondents) 14%

Office

Task Effectiveness since WFH

Home

Reading highest increase in effectiveness, Large Group Meetings least effective Top 5 Challenges since WFH

➀ Ergonomics ➁ Physical activity/exercise Balancing non-work ➂ related commitments ➃ Concentration ➄ Other

37%

52%

Client site

73%

Top 5 Improvements since WFH

Balancing non-work ➀ related commitments

➁ Concentration ➂ Comfort ➃ Background noise ➄ Speech privacy

I miss the exercise of my active commute to the office, but it is nice to stop working and not have the hour commute before I'm with the family.

Hard to separate work and personal life since my desk is in my bedroom.

My brain is still on when I want to sleep.

61

PRACTICE AREAS ANALYSIS

Urban Design Average Tenure with Perkins And Will

1-2 years Headcount (as of May 26,2020)

57

Have Family Members that Need Their Attention

Appetite for WFH in the Future

35%

Office

Pre-COVID Response Rate

105% (60 respondents)

8%

7%

7%

Office

➃ Technology ➄ Other

45%

Home Client site

Phone calls highest increase in effectiveness, Ideation and Charettes least effective

➀ Ergonomics ➁ Physical activity/exercise Balancing non-work ➂ related commitments

Client Site

Post-COVID

Task Effectiveness since WFH

Top 5 Challenges since WFH

WFH

48%

85%

Top 5 Improvements since WFH

Balancing non-work ➀ related commitments

➁ Comfort ➂ Concentration ➃ Physical activity/exercise ➄ Speech privacy

Conversations with other colleagues are greatly missed.

My ability to function well in this environment is very dependent upon my use of a wacom tablet for digital drawing and ideation. Without it, I would be at a loss.

62

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The Future of Work

Appetite for WFH post-COVID-19 has increased significantly for most of Perkins and Will employees. The future role of the office is seen in the spectra of socializing, collaborating and separating work and personal life.

Appetite for WFH

Fostering Interaction

Supporting Collaboration

Separating Work and Life

Quantitative data findings

In order to determine the role of the office post-COVID-19, challenges since WFH as well as aspects of the office experience that were missed the most where reviewed. Results showed that, despite WFH bringing about challenges in ergonomics and technology, social aspects of the office and creating a separation between work and personal life were missed more than the physical environment.

While digital collaboration has improved in effectiveness since WFH, structured, formal interactions, as well as serendipitous collaboration cross-practice areas have decreased. These findings point towards the importance of the office in catering to face to face interactions and aiding in collaborative activities that don't come natural within the digital realm.

A further role of the future office may come in the form of the office acting as a physical signal of boundaries setting, separating work and personal life. This comes in the light of open comments revealing a struggle to 'switch-off' from work, with 52% of Perkins and Will employees reporting working extended hours since WFH.

revealed a significant shift in WFH perceptions for the majority of Perkins and Will employees, towards a mixed model of working from home and from the office.

Whereas previously, 84% of working time was spent at the office and 19% at home, in the future only 48% of working time was envisioned to be spent at the office, and 46% at home.

63

THE FUTURE OF WORK

Appetite for Future WFH

Work from the office Work from home

The majority of Perkins and Will employees envision more home-working centered ways of working, post-COVID-19. While previously, 84% of working time was spent at the office and 10% at home, in the future only 48% of working time was envisioned to be spent at the office, and 46% at home.

Work from client site

Time spent working from client site remained unchanged, at 6% both pre and post-COVID-19.

Pre-COVID-19

Post-COVID-19

6%

6% 10%

Home

Office

48%

Home Client site

46%

Office

More even distribution Client site of time spent between home and office in the future

84% Prevalence of office work pre-COVID-19 for the majority of employees

64

THE FUTURE OF WORK

Appetite for Future WFHâ&#x20AC;&#x2022;Open Comments Open comments revealed that main reasons for the desire to continue WFH after COVID-19 lie in the benefits of home working on time 'won back' - quality family time, dedicated personal time, as well as autonomy and flexibility in structuring the workday.

Many Perkins and Will employees further reported that these factors have improved their productivity since WFH, with aspects previously seen as 'barriers' to successful home working now no longer in play, such as technological proficiency and 'know-how', and cultural norms.

I love that I can wear comfortable clothes and no make up!

I have more plants around me, also it's nice to be around my own possessions.

I feel more relaxed and less stressed.

No long commutes allow for more personal time, as well as more time to complete work requirements.

Everyone using the same technology and it's working!

Previously, people that were hesitant to embrace IT used workarounds at the office.

It's great that I can spend more time with my family since WFH. I don't feel so worn out all the time from commuting and out of town travel.

There's no more time wasted finding a quiet spot to do focused work or have a call.

65

THE FUTURE OF WORK

The Role of the Office in Fostering Culture and Identity

Average overall satisfaction score* with cultural and social features

When thinking ahead about the role of the office in the future, in particular in light of home working becoming more prevalent, it is critical to understand what Perkins and Will employees miss about the office.

3.0

Interestingly, social aspects of the office were missed more than the physical built environment, amenities or facilities. A decrease in sense of belonging and connectedness has arisen despite the vast majority of Perkins and Will employees reported increased satisfaction levels with firmwide communication. This may indicate that other cultural factors are at play on the work experience whilst working from the office vs. from home.

How satisfied are you with cultural factors since WFH?

What do you miss most about the office?

5%

-46%

2%

-40%

Social & People Work environment 51%

Work life balance Close by amenities Other

Culture

Sense of belonging

Team identity

Respondents less satisfied with their sense of belonging since WFH

54%

46%

What They Miss Most about the Office

10%

-54%

Respondents less satisfied with workplace culture since WFH

➀ Team/Colleagues (81%) ➁ Team Collaboration (70%) ➂ In-Person Meetings (62%)

32%

Social and People features

Close by amenities

Work environments

Other

*Based on a Likert Scale of 1 (= a lot less satisfied) to 5 (= a lot more satisfied), a score of 3 relates to a an average improvement of 1 point in satisfaction since WFH.

Work life balance

66

THE FUTURE OF WORK

The Role of the Office in Supporting Collaboration WFH has had an immense impact on collaborative behaviors. While efforts to support digital communication and interaction, both on a team-basis and a firmwide level, have increased, structured, regular, serendipitous interactions have declined, with significant implications on cross-practice area collaboration, sense of connectedness, and even perceived career growth opportunities.

These findings point towards the importance of the office in catering to face to face interactions and aiding in collaborative activities that don't come natural within the digital realm.

...as well as providing a space for socializing, informal interactions and serendipitous collaboration.

Serendipity does not happen at home, inspiration levels are lower.

The role of the office moving forward may lie in supporting large-scale, structured interactions and impromptu collaboration...

-58%

Ideation/ charettes

-49%

Large group meetings

-49%

I draw inspiration from our team, impromptu discussions and idea exchanges surrounded by our studio environment.

-41%

Client Formal engagement presentations/ activities workshops

I miss learning by osmosis and picking things up at the office... it's not just about the meeting, it's about what you hear accidentally before and after the meeting.

Unplanned, serendipitous interactions with members outside immediate team are lacking.

67

4. Further Considerations

68

FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS

A Word On Bias In Self-Reporting Interpreting Self-Report Data While using an online survey as a research and data collection tool has several advantages, including gaining opinions from a large group of people and allowing them to share their thoughts more freely than they would in a face-to-face situation, there are several factors that work to skew responses and consequent interpretation of data. This is especially important when considering the interpretation of self-reports on effectiveness and efficiency measures in employees.

In particular self-reports of effectiveness need to be interpreted with the social desirability bias in mind.

The Role of Social Desirability The potentially most dominant skew in findings comes in the form of the so-called 'social desirability bias', i.e. the tendency of survey respondents to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others. This effect may manifest itself in over-reporting "good behavior" (i.e. task effectiveness, increased working hours), and/or under-reporting "bad", or undesirable behavior (i.e. mental health struggles).

This type of bias may be especially prevalent in times of COVID-19-related job losses and/or furloughs and a general heightened job insecurity in many employees and should be considered when making long-term decisions on home working moving forward. It is worth noting that social desirability was counteracted through the anonymity of the survey.

69

FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS

A Word On Bias In Self-Reporting Interpretation Bias Further limitations come in the form of differences in both understanding and interpreting survey data, as participants may have different understanding of survey questions.

This is particularly prevalent for the survey question Q19 ('once policy markers and office leadership fully lift office restrictions, hypothetically, what percentage of time would you be able to work from home, the office and client site?'). Differentiating 'ability' from 'effectiveness' may have been difficult for a proportion of survey respondents, and should therefore be factored into analysis and conclusion.

Non-Response Bias As with any data collection method, people choosing to take part in a survey may differ from those who do not wish to take part, thus creating potential bias and non-representativeness of findings.

In order to combat this effect, responses were reviewed in the light of statistical reliability, with the 75% response rate achieving a confidence level of 99% (5% error margin).

This allows for all insights made through the survey to be representative of the wider Perkins and Will workforce.

A high response rate of 75% worked to combat the nonresponse bias, ensuring applicability of findings across the Perkins and Will workforce.

70

5. Discussion and Next Steps

71

DISCUSSION AND NEXT STEPS

Harnessing Survey Learnings Addressing Workforce-Wide Pain Points While data output revealed that the rapid shift to home working has come with many wins and improvement for Perkins and Will employees, certain factors of the workplace experience present pain points for a proportion of employees and are therefore recommended to be addressed.

These pain points relate to both the environment and the individual. From an environmental perspective, employees reported that the home work environment does not fully support larger, structured interactions or ad hoc, spontaneous collaboration, in particular between practice areas. From a more personal perspective, a proportion of the Perkins and Will workforce reported decreased energy levels in line with working longer hours, as well as feelings of anxiety due to social isolation.

Addressing factors that negatively impact the home working experience proactively will mitigate long-term issues.

While these factors may not impact effectiveness in the shortterm, lack of ideation and inspiration due to team and practice area silos, as well as decreased energy levels, feelings of isolation and increased risk of burnout for a proportion of the workforce may lead to decreased happiness and productivity in the long-run, if not addressed proactively.

72

DISCUSSION AND NEXT STEPS

Harnessing Survey Learnings Celebrating and Learning from WFH 'Wins' From a well-being perspective, one of the biggest benefits of home working was seen in giving back time to the individual - allowing for employees to spend quality moments with their families and dedicate hours previously spent on commute to their personal welfare and to leisure activities. Open comments further revealed that an increase in autonomy and flexibility to structure the workday has further improved perceived productivity for a large proportion of the workforce - a finding that is in line with increased task effectiveness.

Furthermore, aspects of the workplace experience previously perceived as barriers to home working such as cultural norms and expectations, as well as technological proficiency and paper-based ways of working were reported to be broken down due to the rapid, enforced shift to home working. This presents an exciting opportunity for the firm to harness factors previously standing in the way of digital communication and remote working, in order to be world class leader in the world of work now and in the future.

One Size Does not Fit All While key pain points and wins were similar across demographics, tenures and studios, a variety of factors shaping the home working experience were found to be dependent on age, lifestyle, home work surrounding and geographical location. The most predominant differences and unique patterns are outlined in Section 3 of this report ('Analysis') and are recommended to be taken into consideration when harnessing the findings of the 'AT HOME' Survey to make datadriven business decisions moving forward.

Harnessing the positives of home working while recognizing unique differences between age group, tenures and locations will be key moving forward.

73

DISCUSSION AND NEXT STEPS

Survey Iterations Taking a Longitudinal Approach When reviewing the pain points and wins that the rapid shift to home working has brought to Perkins and Will, it is crucial to review findings and data patterns in the context of the point in time in which the survey was conducted. With the time frame of May 2020 bringing many significant changes to what would be deemed a typical home working experience, such as school and nursery closures, as well as fear of job loss and furloughs, it should be acknowledged that a proportion of pain points reported may cease to be post-COVID-19.

In order to take an evidence-based view of changes in WFH perceptions in light of COVID-19 developments, it is therefore recommended that the 'AT HOME' Survey is issued in a cyclical manner throughout Q3 and Q4 2020. This will allow for trackable changes in Perkins and Will employee responses, with analysis working to draw out differences in home working perceptions by demographic group, e.g. caregivers potentially reporting higher WFH satisfaction since nursery and school re-opening.

Taking a longitudinal approach to surveying will enhance our understanding of the influence of lifestyle factors and habituation, as well as the phased re-opening of cities, on the home working experience.

74

7. Appendix

75

APPENDIX A

Methodology Survey research is a quantitative approach that features the use of self-report measures on carefully selected samples. It is a flexible approach that can be used to study a wide variety of basic and applied research questions. In line with Perkins and Will value of research and evidence-based design, the survey module was developed with principles of social psychology and research methodology in mind, with the concrete steps outlined below (for more detailed methodology, please refer to Appendix A of this document).

As a first step, in March 2020, external literature and peer surveys were used for survey context, and initial thoughts and hypotheses were gathered on research vision and goals. An online survey format was chosen in line with a quantitative, self-response led approach to gather employee insights.

As a second step, survey questions were formulated. While constructing survey questions, the majority were formulated to be interval-scalable and allowing for likert-scale responses. Open comment options where provided to allow for added context to question responses and help for future iterations of the survey. All questions were voluntary and free to skip, except for one question around primary office location, which included an 'other' response option.

As a third step, the survey module underwent several reviews and iterations from the Perkins and Will HX Lab and Planning and Strategies team, as well as firmwide leadership and opinion leaders on workplace strategy. To quantify feedback, a one-week pilot study was conducted with 14 Perkins and Will Workplace Strategy opinion leaders in May 2020. As a key follow-up from feedback received during the pilot study, a question asking about key features that were missed around the office was added while several existing questions were shortened and scaled back to allow for quicker response times and a more user-friendly set-up.

Step 1 External literature Peer surveys Hypothesis Online survey format

Step 2

Formulating survey questions

Step 3

Reviews and iterations Pilot study

76

APPENDIX B

Methodology The survey was issued to all active Perkins and Will employees globally (see adjacent for survey invitation text). The survey was open from 20th May to 1st June 2020, yielding a response rate of 75% over all 26 Perkins and Will studios.

Employees were informed prior to taking the survey that the survey would take approximately 5 minutes to complete and could be taken on laptops, tablets and mobile devices.

Participants were further advised that participation was voluntary and they were free to terminate the survey at any time for any reason.

An email address was provided to all employees to send feedback and thoughts on the AT HOME survey (athomesurvey@perkinswill.com).

Email invitation text sent to all Perkins and Will employees.

77

APPENDIX B

Full Survey Questions MODULE 01

MODULE 02

MODULE 03

Demographics

Before and Since WFH

6 Questions

5 Questions

WFH Experience and Office Transitioning

‒ Office/Studio ‒ Time with firm ‒ Practice Area ‒ Job grade ‒ Age ‒ Gender

‒ Before WFH, what was your average time of commute to the office (one-way)? ‒ Before WFH, what modes of transports did you use for your commute to the office? ‒ Before WFH, what percentage of time during an average week did you work from home/ office/client site/other remote locations? ‒ Since WFH, how m any family members or others need your care, support or attention during the typical working day? ‒ Since WFH, how have your daily working hours changed?

7 Questions ‒ Which of the following settings do you work from? ‒ What are top 5 challenges you face when WFH? ‒ What are the top 5 things that have improved since WFH? ‒ How effective do you feel completing the below tasks since WFH? ‒ How satisfied do you feel with the below cultural and social features since WFH? ‒ Once policy makers and office leadership fully lift office restrictions, how many days would you anticipate WFH? ‒ Have you created innovative design solutions to WFH? Please feel free to upload a photo, illustration or meme of your workspace. It can be a fun photo, including pets, your morning coffee, your "co-workers" previously known as kids, etc. This photo may be shared externally and is optional.

78

APPENDIX C

Pilot Study for the pilot study the 14 Workplace Strategy Opinion Leaders tested the survey in late April 2020 (27- 29 April). The graph below exemplifies the outcome for a question from the pilot study on culture and social features since WFH. Outcomes for each questions were tested against a set of developed research questions. The objective was to gather feedback from participants, develop initial findings, further inform the research questions and test the survey on its user-friendliness.

Please rate how much more or less effective you feel with the cultural and social features since WFH:

Graphics represent pilot study outputs (N=14) A lot more satisfied

Somewhat more satisfied

No Impact

Somewhat less satisfied

Ask why employees want to come back to the office (not just which features improve / challenge). Ask why we don't want to come back to office.

A lot less satisfied

Wellbeing Work‐life balance Firm‐wide communication Team communication Team identity Sense of belonging Career growth Culture 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

I think it would be good to get a feel for what people are willing to "tolerate" in the workplace. Examples: Suggested distancing measures, disinfectant supplies, free address, to name a few.

Research Question: Humanistic factors such as sense of belonging/team identity have reduced since WFH. Is this the case for the majority of employees or will there be a significant amount of responses to both high and low satisfaction? If so, what are the drivers for this?

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APPENDIX D

Overall Response Rates Per Studio The adjacent table outlines the breakdown of respondent rates per studio.

The headcount information was sourced from Human Resources and includes only active headcount as of 26 May 2020.

The majority of the studios yield a generalizable response rate.

Generalizable response rate *Generalizable response rate (based on a 5% margin of error at a 99% confidence level)

Number of

Number of

Response

Employees

Respondents

Rate

Atlanta

164

132

80%

Austin

53

50

94%

Boston

149

133

89%

Calgary

9

7

78%

Charlotte

25

24

96%

Chicago

181

165

91%

Copenhagen

80

33

41%

Dallas

219

183

84%

Denver

50

45

90%

Dublin*

2

2

100%

Durham

47

43

91%

Houston

60

54

90%

London

109

133

122%

Los Angeles

95

89

94%

Miami

64

43

67%

Minneapolis

49

52

106%

Monterrey*

1

1

100%

New York

86

88

102%

Ottawa

19

15

79%

San Francisco

62

83

134%

Sao Paulo

57

26

45%

Seattle

116

121

104%

Shanghai*

68

4

6%

Toronto

86

66

77%

Vancouver

119

101

85%

Washington DC

70

59

84%

Other

n/a

5

n/a

Note: Dublin, Monterrey, Shanghai not included in office comparison graphs (respondents <5) 80

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