Return to the Office?
A changed landscape
Many companies that allowed remote work in various forms during the height of the pandemic are now asking or, in many cases, demanding that their employees make a partial if not full return to office-based activities. There are a number of factors for employers and personnel to consider when making a final determination regarding how they will ultimately structure their work environment given the profound changes that have taken place over the past few years.
Productivity
There will always be a core group of individuals who feel that they are able to make a larger contribution to the company when working in an office setting. Nonetheless, numerous studies that have covered the time frame since the pandemic arrived have shown that efficiency and results have often increased substantially when an organization allowed its workforce to operate away from a designated, central location. Indeed, Renascent Solutions is now operating on a fully remote basis and has no plans to alter this approach.
One of the most important considerations that has emerged in the data is that employees who are required to return to the office have a far lower level of engagement, a faster burnout rate, and a higher propensity to want to leave their position in the near term. This is a factor that cannot be ignored and must be taken into full consideration when determining how you will move forward as a company given the fact that a full 60% of individuals queried in various surveys are highly likely to depart if not offered the type of work structure where they feel most comfortable.
In-person interaction
Many people simply are more at ease working in an environment where they are able to collaborate face-to-face with management and coworkers. Conversely, a large number of individuals find this unnecessary and would much rather tend to such activities via one of the plethora of modern communications offerings that provide real-time contact via voice and video. Amusingly enough, one of the primary complaints we hear on a regular basis is the fact that a person has returned to the office in some fashion and still spends an exorbitant amount of time in online conference meetings that they easily could have conducted from home. For those who are planning to require a minimum amount of on-site presence it will be imperative to come up with systems and processes that minimize interactions often seen as redundant if not outright unnecessary.
Work-life balance factors
The pandemic was without question a major eye opener for countless individuals who realized they had been neglecting or completely setting aside necessary components of an overall healthy lifestyle. Physical and mental health factors along with family-related items have taken on new importance for many, and our surveys illuminate the general consensus that there is little desire to give up the greater flexibility afforded by remote work that allows one to be able to apply greater emphasis on a more balanced approach to life in general.
Commute and monetary considerations
It’s certainly not overly surprising to learn that many individuals have found far better uses for the extra hour or two incurred by many while sitting in their cars to drive back and forth between a physical office. Add on fuel costs, possible monthly parking fees, maintenance, traffic aggravations, childcare, and a number of additional negatives and the case for eliminating this part of the daily work schedule is easily forgotten by many.
Office space and costs
A number of companies committed to long-term leases or outright ownership of infrastructure and feel that they have little choice but to continue to utilize the space as fully as possible. By 2025 about 40% of current agreements will expire thus presenting an interesting conundrum for many – particularly as we begin to field more concrete data regarding the efficacy of systems put in place by companies utilizing various forms of hybrid work. Many will find that it’s ultimately more cost effective and productive to move to a fully remote construct. Others will view this shift as an opportunity to garner concessions in the form of rates, term lengths, structural modifications, and overall value while they increase requirements to return to a central location.
Type of office arrangement
The open-office model in various formats became quite popular in the prior decade amongst management for various reasons. However, it’s become fairly clear during the many chats we have with potential candidates that many of these individuals miss very little about this type of structure. Indeed, based on a number of additional outside studies a great number of workers have been shown to view it as detrimental to productivity and focus rather than stimulating and conducive to performance.
Given this insight, companies requiring their staff to return to the office on a full or partial basis need to take into account the fact that many are less productive in an environment that doesn’t provide a private space from which to operate. Indeed, there are a number of startups who have recognized this desire to shift away from an open environment and are once again providing on-site personal hubs or off-premises private spaces catering to organizations with fully remote or hybrid workforces.
Advancement
Those who choose to work remotely may certainly have legitimate concerns regarding their ability to move up in the organization if they are not physically present in the office on a daily basis. Executives and managers who are more likely to want workers in the office may very well hold favor towards those who show up on site rather than continue to work from home. Forward thinking groups that want to keep their best employees will have to address this issue appropriately.
Technology-related considerations
The benefits of many of the offerings that rose to prominence during the early and continued days of the pandemic are certainly well documented. From robust network access solutions to refined interactive meeting platforms, a diverse selection of options are now available that make it possible to be highly productive in a range of professional capacities. Many will understandably use this as proof that remote work can be successfully completed on a permanent basis and demand to remain in this capacity or simply move on to another company that will allow them to operate in this manner.
A number of companies have implemented various forms of room scheduling, desk booking, contactless mechanisms, and additional safety and productivity upgrades that will certainly ameliorate some of the concerns for those open to a partial or full return. Nevertheless, for many it won’t be enough to prompt them to remain thus an enhanced approach to proactively keeping positions properly filled with superior professionals will become ever more important.
Cultural factors
• Many individuals may feel that they are not fully part of the organization if they are not working on site while others may choose to do so. There undoubtedly may be a good deal of veracity to this concern depending on management and their philosophical approach. Potential issues with coworkers are another obvious difficulty that will need to be properly addressed thus providing equal opportunities and access to all no matter how they choose to work is going to be a key item to address.
• A loss of a sense of autonomy is a clear and potentially highly detrimental problem that has inevitably arisen as people are required to take up their posts at the office. Overcoming this as an employer will be essential and definitely not possible in all cases.
• Equity concerns. For example, parents have been shown thus far to be less likely to want to make the return to office-based work. On the other hand, there are a number of individuals who may not have ideal locations or structures for working remotely and thus may find it more productive to spend the day on site or in another location. Finding ways to make certain all cohorts are treated equally will be paramount.
• Management – Leaders within the organization can effectively maintain an approach to business that works well for their particular needs and chosen philosophical processes by utilizing a host of potential approaches that reinforce their commitment to maintaining a cohesive and supportive environment no matter where their workers may choose to spend their work hours.
The key factor here is for leadership to determine the particular type of culture they want to maintain, openly and clearly communicate this to the organization, and be transparent and willing to amend components as needed based on feedback and results. It’s also proven to be a superb opportunity to provide a more personal and empathetic touch to ways of doing things that were often highly impersonal. The results have been fantastic across a number of corporate continuums during the period following the response to the pandemic.
Continued concerns about exposure to current and future illnesses
Ever evolving strains of the Covid virus alone is a concern for many individuals as are a plethora of additional health-related issues that may arise in an office setting. If a company is ultimately set on requiring a mass return to on premises work it will be essential to provide an environment that emphasizes personal safety and reduces anxiety as much as possible. Comprehensive and clear protocols will have to be established and remain in place, and proper training and enforcement will be necessary in order to maintain proper comfort levels for a return to the office that is deemed safe.
Careful consideration and employee feedback will determine the ultimate growth and productivity of your company
Clearly it will be very difficult to offer remote work options for a number of individuals working in environments that simply cannot function properly without conducting their professions in person. For those who have the ability to work from home or another off-site location however, there is a strong desire by many to continue to operate in the same or a very similar fashion.
We now have very good data outlining productivity levels across a number of sectors for individuals who have been working remotely full time. We should have a fairly flush set of figures soon pertaining to hybrid options and their efficacy. As more concrete information is amassed and analyzed, companies are going to have to make very mindful and well-planned decisions regarding how they will go about offering a range of possible options that will elicit loyalty, engagement, and overall satisfaction. Additional thoughts and approaches regarding a return to the office environment may be found within the following post: 10 Ways to Maximize Retention Rates.