The Case Against Full-Time Return to Office Plans
In a time when tech giants like Google and Apple have walked back their five-day mandatory return-to-office plans, Tesla’s choice to do the opposite stands out. And not just because the company wasn’t ready to bring its employees onsite.
So if the biggest, most innovative companies in the world are struggling to get their return-to-office plans right, what are the rest of us supposed to do? And how should we be thinking about office requirements when everything (still) feels so uncertain?
Here, we offer some guidance, based on real studies of real people. Every organization is different, but these insights should help you establish a strategy that sets you and your team up for continued success.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
1. Today’s Professionals Expect Workplace Flexibility – And Will Leave if They Don’t Get It
When businesses went remote in March 2020, the expectation was that they’d return to the office within a couple months. That didn’t happen. Two years later, 77 percent of remote-capable workers expect a remote or hybrid arrangement (that is, some days in an office, some days at home).
For managers, this change can be difficult to navigate. If you never see your team in person, it’s harder to monitor morale. Sure, you might get a thumbs up over a Zoom call, but that’s not the same as grabbing a quick coffee or even noticing colleagues’ body language throughout the day.
Nevertheless, accommodating some level of remote work is a baseline expectation in today’s environment. Seventy-four percent of professionals say remote work is a deciding factor in a job offer. That means offering workplace flexibility could be the difference between a fully built-out team and a short-staffed one.
Even if you’re not looking to hire right now, you might be affected by changing expectations around remote and hybrid work. Recent surveys indicate your current employees might leave if they aren’t offered flexibility. One such study shows that 46 percent of employees would quit or start looking for a job if their employer revoked remote work options. And despite recent layoffs, it’s still a job seeker’s market – there are more than 11.4 million vacant positions and just six million unemployed workers.
2. Return to Office Plans Alienate Disabled Employees
Though it’s fallen out of the headlines somewhat, the original reason many of us shifted to a remote setup – COVID-19 – shows no signs of stopping. Its sub-variants are actually growing more contagious.
Understandably, this situation remains a concern for immunocompromised professionals and caretakers of immunocompromised loved ones. But a full return-to-office plan hurts disabled employees for additional reasons.
Remote work has increased the labor participation rate for working-age people with disabilities. A “return to normal” could very well undo that progress.
Why? For one thing, working from home has allowed disabled professionals to control their environment, whether it’s a stair lift or how many people they see. This means your disabled colleagues can focus on their work without worrying about their comfort or their safety. And that’s huge for productivity.
But team bonding and interaction are important – especially for certain types of creative or collaborative work. When you need to be in the same space, plan ahead. Make sure you’re accommodating everyone’s needs and only asking for in-person participation when it’s necessary.
One popular solution: a shared office space where you can reserve conference rooms for meetings and break out into private offices for the rest of the day. This lets you connect as a team and ensure every member can complete work in their ideal conditions.
3. Employees Are Happier and More Productive in Flexible Arrangements
According to a 2021 report, 84 percent of workers felt working from home post-pandemic would make them happier. And we know there’s a link between happiness and increased productivity.
But it’s tough to square these statistics with your own experiences, particularly if you remember in-person meetings fondly. In the office, you could actually do the work without the fear of buffering videos or distorted audio.
Yet a 2021 study shows that a return to the office had a negative mental health impact on 33 percent of employees. In other words, a return-to-office plan that’s intended to boost collaboration and improve culture might have the opposite effect.
However, one component that drives employee engagement – and inspires them to stick around – is an understanding of a company’s mission. This “why” also applies to where professionals work. If your team is happy and productive in a flexible arrangement, a mandatory return to office plan could leave them powerless and unengaged.
Your team likely knows what it needs to do exemplary work. See what happens if you empower them to choose the work setting that works best for them. After all, a hybrid approach helps you retain the energy of an office while enabling your employees to finish certain types of work wherever they’re most comfortable.
Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Make Workplace Flexibility Work for Their Teams
At the beginning of the year – really, even three months ago – plenty of companies expected their teams would be back in the office by now. Microsoft, for instance, wanted employees back by February 28. But now, it appears as though that won’t even happen before year’s end.
Emotionally intelligent leaders stand out in moments like these. Listening to your team’s preferences and balancing them with business outcomes isn’t easy. But that’s why empathetic leadership is sought after, and why it inspires engagement. A flexible approach to work is an extension of this empathy; it empowers your employees to do what’s best for them and, by extension, your business.
If you’re looking for a space that accommodates hybrid work, book a tour at your local Firmspace office and see how it meets the demands of your team.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash