The previous reports into Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021 established that the clear key changes to working practices have been working from home/remote working, increased virtual meetings/events and less travel. Now, after two years, with a return to the office and in-person meetings and with travel restrictions eased, how do IROs and investors view these changes?All three changes are viewed in a clearly positive light. On a scale of zero to 10 where zero is not at all positively and 10 is extremely positively, there is a 61 percentage-point difference between those giving a positive score of above five and those giving a negative score of below five to increased virtual meetings/events. At the same time, there is a net positive rating of 56 percentage points for working from home/remote working.
More than half of respondents give a high rating of eight or above to working from home/remote working, while just under half give a similar rating to increased virtual meetings/events. Less travel is viewed comparatively less positively, but even so 61 percent give a rating above five, with four in 10 giving a high rating of eight or more.
