“Return to office backlash”, “back to office” and “back in office” are trending, as companies have been mandating employees to go back to shared corporate spaces. It’s no secret that in the aftermath of COVID-19, people generally became more protective of their personal space. Restaurants, grocery stores and everyday shops made accommodations so that people would have the standard 6ft of personal space. Research has even shown that people’s need for personal space has drastically shifted since the pandemic. In short, the need for personal space has grown and not surprisingly this translates to the work environment.
Data from the Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes (2022) show that at least 70% of workers want 2 or more remote workdays. With this need being greatest in the Finance, Information Technology and Business sectors. Further results show that a little under 20% of workers flatly ignore the request to come in office full-time, but employees seem to be more willing to adhere to in-office requests if employers ask for four days or less. According to Bloom (2022) while the majority of managers try to curb this behaviour using verbal warnings, pay cuts and threats of termination, a whopping 43% of managers do nothing to combat this resistance. This disparity in managerial punishment is an indication that managers themselves are also struggling to support a full return to office.
Despite the push for return to office, data does not support the belief that in-person work is more productive. According to a survey from BambooHR, both in-office and remote workers report spending about 76% of a typical 9-to-5 shift actively working. Workers spend the rest of their time on non-work activities. In fact, in-office workers tend to spend around one hour more socializing compared to their remote counterparts.
Benefits of Working in office
Notably, much of the research would suggest that working from home a few days isn’t detrimental to productivity. Nevertheless, working in-office isn’t all bad, there are some advantages.
Company culture- Every company should have a mission statement, values and vision that they aspire to. The office and its mechanics represent the physical manifestation of these ideals. Going to work everyday creates a sense of community and belonging. Furthermore, if a company executes its mission well and has an excellent culture, then employees are likely to feel a sense of commitment and be more productive.
Mentorship- Providing an outlet for junior staff to informally learn the ins-and-outs of your company and industry is appealing to any employee who is looking for longevity in an organization. Many companies assign mentors to junior staff or even reverse the roles by assigning junior staff to mentor more mature staff in technological areas. However, mentorship can be much more relaxed by having regular gatherings, events or meetings.
Networking and Communication- Successful networking is more likely when there is physical proximity. Proximity creates stronger ties or at the very least it creates familiarity. Going to the office creates more opportunity for physical interactions e.g. a quick chat at the water cooler or the lunch room. Furthermore, in-person interaction allows people to have better communication because it allows transmission of both verbal and non-verbal cues. 70% of our communication is made up of non-verbal cues which are typically out of frame when we communicate online.
Team Collaboration- creativity and innovation are sometimes spontaneous, occurring mid conversation, triggered by a thought or statement from someone. Other times, it requires consistent collaboration by a group of people. Either way, it requires regular interaction with people, an environment that facilitates interaction and “bouncing ideas” off each other. In-person interaction facilitates real-time information exchange and problem-solving efforts.
Return to office strategies
External rewards- Harsh economic realities have made external rewards more crucial than ever. A major reason employees prefer to work from home is the reduced cost, including transportation and food. Hence, compensation may serve to motivate employees to come back to the office. Rewards for attendance, feedback sessions and career development opportunities are great options to motivate employees.
Improve office space- Enhancing office amenities and creating a warm and welcoming work environment can make returning to office more appealing. If you want to foster collaboration then design spaces that are open and large, which are more conducive to group activities.
Flexibility- If possible, allow employees the option of having one or two days to work from home. A pragmatic way to do this is counting the hours that is needed for in-person activities (e.g. collaborative projects, training etc) per week to see if there is any wiggle room for employees to work from home.
Punishment- Since we have established that many workers are simply ignoring the call to return to work, then we must also consider how to enforce this mandate. Will you risk losing good employees by drawing a hard line with warnings, pay cuts and threats of termination? Perhaps you can ultilize the concept of negative reinforcement, which encourages a desired behaviour by removing an unwanted stimulus. For example, allowing employees to accumulate work from home days. If you are in office (desired outcome) consistently for 7 days, you get one work from home day.
References
Barrero, J. M., Bloom, N., Davis, S. (2022). “Why working from home will stick,” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 28731. http://www.wfhresearch.com/
Bloom, N. (2022). The Great Resistance: Getting employees back to the office. Standford University. https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/work/great-resistance-getting-employees-back-office
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