The Office Renaissance

By Kendra Gemma

The Return to the Office

You might have noticed that corporations are requiring their employees to come back to the office again. What are the reasons and how can you implement it for your company, without losing your team members who valued the flexibility of remote work?

Many experts and executives have a few considerations for bringing the staff back to in-office work schedules, including:

Collaboration and Creativity
When your staff can have impromptu brainstorm sessions, eat lunch together, or just chat about their weekend plans in the breakroom, they can get to know each other better, which leads to working better together. Coming up with new ideas and solving problems can happen more quickly and easily when the team feels bonded and when they’re not distracted or talking through a screen.

Culture and Mentorship
Your company’s culture might benefit from bringing your team together in the office, and your younger employees will probably learn better from face-to-face interactions from their mentors.

Real Estate and Investment
Maybe you own your office building, or you have a long-term lease on one that’s now sitting vacant. While you shouldn’t bring your employees back to the office only to justify your real estate expenses, it could be a factor to add to your pros and cons list, if you have one.

What “Back to Office” Could Look Like for You

Your team dynamic, the type of work you do, and your employees’ desires should all play a role in how you arrange your in-office set-up. Here are a couple of models and a way to entice employees to make the commute.

Structured Hybrid Work
Think about allowing your employees to work from home at least one day per week so that they can still enjoy some of the perks they had while still fully remote. Depending on your needs, you can have everyone on the same schedule or stagger employees’ days at home and in the office. Or perhaps you have one mandatory day in the office so you can hold in-person meetings. If you choose an alternated schedule, make it accessible to all employees so they know who’s in the office when.

Full-Time Again
Obviously, retail shops, restaurants, and some service-oriented businesses will have to require in-person attendance. Even if you’re a business with customers located out of the area, you might want everyone back daily for easier collaborations, spontaneous meetings, and cohesive client presentations.

New Office Amenities
If it’s within your budget, why not create a more inspiring and fun work environment? Ask your employees what would be most meaningful to them. Perhaps it’s a selection of snacks in the lunchroom, or a ping pong table where they can take a quick break, or maybe monthly events that would enhance their quality of life.

What Employees Think

Company executives have their own agendas for returning employees to the office, but what do staff members want?

Flexibility
For many employees, having the ability to work from home on a regular basis is non-negotiable. They’re caring for their aging parents and their children, or they simply want a better work-life balance. If possible, try to offer hybrid schedules to your employees who value this perk.

Productivity and Hybrid Reality
The old myth that employees who work from home are more distracted and achieve less is pretty much dead. Again, think about providing opportunities for your staff to create a schedule that works best for them and for you and the company.

What This Means for the Future of Work

How will the office of tomorrow look and function? A near consensus says that they’ll be designed for teamwork and collaboration. Personal workstations may be less necessary, especially if companies choose a hybrid work schedule. Employees can focus on their solo tasks at home and use the in-office days for meetings, culture-building, and team bonding.

The next phase of office culture is here, and it works best when it’s not dictated by the C-suite alone. Make it adaptable, purposeful, and inspiring for your employees using some of or all the ideas in this article.