Getting People Back to the Office

If there is one thing that the pandemic taught everybody, it’s that remote work was a possibility, it’s that employers had the ability to be flexible if they wanted to, and that it turns out we are actually able to be productive and efficient no matter where we are. If people are comfortable when they work, then they’re going to be more than happy to continue to work. And as employers, that’s something that’s exciting to think about. The problem is that the pandemic was over four years ago, and that means that more and more employers are asking people to come back to an office work environment now, while some employers are seeing the benefit of remote working and putting flexibility and comfort at the top of their priority list. There are other employers who are expecting people to come back to the office mostly because they own the office and somebody’s got to pay the rent.

The problem is getting people back into that space. People are comfortable at home. They don’t worry about their belongings going missing and they don’t worry about storing their things or having to deal with people they don’t necessarily gel very well with. There’s so many things that people don’t have to consider when they are working from home. But if you are in a position where you have been told that you need to get your team back into the office, at least in a hybrid manner, then you need some tips to get them there. That’s what we’ve got for you below:

1. Emphasize security. If somebody is worried about coming back to the office because perhaps they’ve had things stolen in the past, you should emphasize the fact that you have maximized security and storage with staff lockers. Start looking at ways that you can implement more security systems, including lights in the parking lots and in the stairwells, CCTV around the clock and even a security guard. People need to feel safe where they work and it stands to reason that as their employer, that’s what you’re in charge of.
2. Stop going on about productivity. A lot of leaders are banging on and on about the fact that people are more productive in the office and we need to get people back to productivity levels. The problem is that most people find themselves more productive when they are able to be at home. Not everybody wants to sit elbow to elbow with other people in traffic in the morning, or deal with public transport or deal with people in an office environment. They like to be able to make a coffee when they want to and settle to work and know that if they need to go to the doctor, they can nip out and do that without interrupting their own productivity levels. Don’t make productivity the reason to come back in, because you can guarantee your remote workers are going to tell you all the reasons they are more productive where they are.
3. Talk about connection. If you’ve been socializing on Teams or Skype events then you’ll be able to give the hard sell on connection coming back to the office. It turns out that people who want to have connections in person really do like going to an office everyday and having that separation from home and from work. If they want to socialize with people in the office, then you should say that that’s allowed, because often people will argue that they have to go to the office and work in silence. If you want people to come back, you need to enhance those connections.
4. Don’t make a demand. One of the easiest ways to convince people to come back to the office is to ask them how many days a week can they do that? You might find that those with children prefer to be at home because then they can be there for their kids before and after school and still manage to balance their tasks, prioritizing their hard work tasks during school hours. You may also find that those same parents would want to come in one or two days a week, but not for the full week, and that still offers them a lot more flexibility and balance than they had before. Demanding a certain percentage of people is not going to help them to be convinced about coming back.

Acknowledge the sacrifice. Commuting, getting dressed up, paying for childcare, not being able to keep up with the housework. It’s all coordination and energy that is not easy to come by. As a strong and perceptive leader, you want to show that you understand that you are going to be interrupting their day. Show them this by offering to pay for childcare or offering to add more to their salaries if you can afford it. If you have a beautiful cream of profit there that you’ve been skimming off to your stakeholders, take a look at what you can offer your workers.