Return to office protocol is one of the hottest topics that I am discussing with my clients.
I have seen a full spectrum of approaches, from my Commercial Real Estate clients who are already back or have asked their employees to be back in the office in a full-time capacity, to clients who are committing to 2 days a month in office, indefinitely.
What is the right answer for your return to office protocols?
If you’re wondering what you should do, let’s explore this question using some different leaders’ perspectives to see what decision makes the most sense for your organization.
 |
 |
| This is Mary. Mary is a CEO who enjoys walking around the office and chatting with her employees. Her days are full of meetings, and when she’s not in meetings, she calls on those in her inner circle to share her thoughts.
As you can imagine, when COVID hit, her management and communication style went out the window.
No more change by chance. Those spur-of-the-moment conversations – which had yielded so many valuable ideas – were now scheduled and so deliberate.
Mary also believes that people do their best work in their offices, and wants to see them back full time, so she has easy and direct access to them. She has clearly communicated out of sight, out of mind. |
This is John. John is a CEO who recognizes that the two most valuable people to have by his side are the Head of Finance to cover the money side, and the Head of People to cover the employee side.
John knows from a recent employee survey that 87% of employees want a hybrid work solution. He has seen that his people do good work, and were productive at home the past few years.
On the numbers side, John sees that a hybrid solution would allow the company to downsize their real estate footprint and save fixed costs expenses.
Business has grown, although not seeing each other in the office may have impacted collaboration and stalled innovation. |
Did you uncover your perfect solution for return to office?
If you worked through more than one scenario, you probably found that there is not a one size fits all solution. You may have believed you nailed the answer, only to realize you need to tweak it more.
Many companies are struggling with employee retention and a crisis of loyalty. A recent Bank of Canada survey showed that the number of employees expecting to quit their current jobs in the next 12 months has reached a new high.
While we recognize the importance of collaboration and personal connections to drive the business, we must also recognize that many workers want to have the freedom and autonomy to work from home. If you force a complete return to work, you risk an increase in employee turnover, and will need to have plans in place for rehiring, onboarding, and training.
Full work from home has its downsides too. Many companies have benefited from the ability to hire a diverse global team who can work from anywhere. Only to find that their corporate culture suffers and productivity is not as high as expected. You need to have clear KPIs, constant communication with your employees while setting clear expectations in place to manage a remote workforce.
Finally, many companies have instituted hybrid work solutions. If you plan to downsize your office footprint and implement hoteling, be sure to think of the full impact to your work style. You can make it work…but it requires a different way of thinking and acting.
So the right solution for your company can be a bit of a moving target. What is critical is that you think holistically – about your people, your culture, your workstyle, and your bottom line.
Parting Thoughts:
1. Don’t make it a trust issue – if you don’t have trust, fix that issue.
2. Over communicate and set clear expectations around this.
3. Be open for feedback – it is better to hear the complaints and noise than hear nothing at all.
HR Matters.co is here to help with your return to office decisions
Whether you are more like Mary or John – or someone completely different – at HR Matters.co, we are here to help.
Connect with us as we can assist with what might be the best solution for your organization and where employees work.
