Back to the Office

Back to the Office | Curse or blessing

Starting in spring 2020, many employees quickly had to get used to working from home instead of driving to the office every day. In many companies this worked quite well, in others it worked far less. The offices have now been reopened for a few months and many companies are trying to “revive” the deserted desks using different approaches - some (including giants like Amazon, Google, Apple, etc.) are already taking coercive measures such as layoffs or blocking career advancement. if the recall is not followed.

However, even less radical employers and especially their managers quickly discovered the difficulty of convincing employees of the advantages of being physically present in offices. People have gotten used to working from home and are skeptical about returning to the office.

There are of course reasons why you want to bring employees back to the office:

Remote work makes it difficult to build a strong company culture
Being away from the office makes employees less connected to your company, which can affect employee loyalty
Teamwork from home can be more difficult and less efficient
The employer lacks insight and control over what their employees do during the day

On the other hand, there are employees who would like to go back to the office every day - especially because of social isolation; for others, here are some solutions that could make the switch to hybrid or face-to-face work easier:

Well-being and working atmosphere

Almost all people who work remotely usually only communicate with their managers and colleagues virtually, can organize their day themselves and feel more freedom. In the office, however, you meet your managers and colleagues several times a day. They often feel like they are constantly being watched and controlled and therefore cannot relax. The likelihood of conflicts escalating also increases if you meet each other throughout the day and cannot keep your distance with a few clicks, as is the case remotely. This affects both personal well-being and the general working atmosphere. The consequences of this are, on the one hand, limited productive work performance and, on the other hand, no motivation to return to the office.

Solution
The best way to increase employee motivation to return to the office is to let them know that their return is not for control purposes. Instead, show your employees that you continue to trust them and give them the freedom they had when working from home. You can also organize different team building activities such as lunch or dinner together or team building events such as training courses or communication seminars. This should strengthen team spirit and promote social interaction in the office. It is also important for employers to reflect on their own leadership style in the office.

Health

Employees who work from home have often developed the habit of healthy or sporting activities that they don't want to abandon in the office. This includes meditation and yoga in the morning, a walk in the park during your lunch break, or Pilates between meetings. Often there is no space in the office to carry out such activities. Especially in desk jobs, employees have to sit in the office for long periods of time without moving. Then they don't feel fit, have back pain or headaches, which also worsens their productivity and work performance.

Solution
Wellness programs can help promote employee health and well-being. Below we would like to list a few examples:

· Fitness classes

By offering various fitness classes such as yoga, Pilates, etc., employees can not only stay fit but also avoid the monotony of desk work.

· Discounts on gym memberships

Employers can work with fitness studios near the office, for example, to offer their employees discounted memberships. This saves employees money and time to stay physically fit and allows them to be more productive at work

commute

For many employees, the route to work is one of the main arguments against working in the office. According to an international study, employees save on average around one hour per day when they work at home, i.e. in a home office. Aside from the time factor, costs also play a major role. Traditional incentives such as the company car or the company ticket are becoming more and more out of fashion. In addition, people increasingly prefer to use various public transport and mobility options, including bicycles.

Solution
A monthly mobility budget can meet the new needs of employees in this area and significantly reduce their financial burden. Instead of the company or pool car, there are more and more company bicycles that can be used by all employees. A flexible offer creates additional incentives to drive to the office.

Flexibility

Even if companies want to bring their teams back to the office, many employees still want the opportunity to work remotely from time to time or to structure their working hours flexibly. Employees want to continue to enjoy more freedom in planning and better coordinate their work with their private life. If the employer does not enable this, it can lead to dissatisfaction or – even worse – termination.

Solution
Avoid strict attendance requirements as much as possible. Your employees shouldn’t have to switch to a full Office model right away. Introduce a hybrid work model in advance that allows employees to work where and when they want, typically splitting their time between office work and remote work. For example, companies can individually agree on three fixed weekly attendance days with their employees and the employees can work from home on the other days. Flexible working hours are another great way to give your employees more control over their work-life balance. Flexible working refers to all types of work models that offer employees more flexibility in organizing their work processes. This flexibility can relate to the location or to the working hours.

Conclusion

Employers should respond to the individual wishes of employees and counteract their concerns with actively implemented measures. This not only increases trust in superiors, but also the satisfaction and productivity of the entire company