While some organizations may be eager to get employees back into the office, local HR professionals say a rush to return without planning and communication can cause damage in the long run.
While some organizations may be eager to get employees back into the office, local HR professionals say a rush to return without planning and communication can cause damage in the long run.
“The world of work has changed since the pandemic but it’s like a lot of companies are trying to go back to exactly how it was before and that’s never going to happen,” said Lydia Di Francesco, a workplace wellness specialist and CEO of Fit + Healthy 365. “That’s where there’s been some friction.”
A recent study from the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business found that forcing employees back into the office decreases job satisfaction and does little to increase performance or support a firm’s values. It also found that employees may view “RTO” mandates as a power grab by employers to reassert control or blame employees for poor company performance.
According to Di Francesco, employees can become frustrated and less productive when companies force full or partial return-to-work mandates without a carefully considered plan.
“What I’m hearing from people is that they go in-person and it doesn’t seem to be very valuable time,” she said. “There aren’t many people there. They’re mostly doing the same type of work from the office and wondering why they couldn’t just do it from home. That increases the level of frustration, because people are like, why am I even here?”
This can also occur with the hybrid model, which Di Francesco said remains the common approach for companies hoping to have employees spend more time in the office.
The federal government, which is the largest employer in Ottawa, is continuing with a hybrid approach, while also calling workers back into the office. Earlier this week, it announced that public servants would be required to work in the office three days a week.
In many cases, the hybrid model is a necessary compromise, as remote work remains popular among former office dwellers post-pandemic, said Di Francesco.
“(Employees) realized that there are a lot of positives,” she said. “In terms of flexibility, work-life harmony, or even cost savings on gas and parking fees. And people were getting their work done. A lot of people are not as keen to go back to the office and therefore lose some of those benefits that they’ve found.
“I think employers are realizing that a 100-per-cent return to office might lead a lot of people to quit or to just really unhappy employees. Businesses are trying to find a happy medium.”
Planning, communication key to successful RTO
To find that happy medium, employers need a good plan.
“The best scenario is when there’s a strategy on the employer's side in terms of how they’re going to engage employees from the onset, before that mandate even takes place,” said Jillian Moores with Quo HR Consulting.
She said the process begins with communication. In addition to understanding employee concerns, employers need to identify and express why working in-person is valuable for the company and the employee.
“Why is coming back to the office important?” said Moores. “That’s going to be different across the board. For some, it’s about clients or teamwork, for others it’s really about productivity. Some teams really do function better when they’re actually together.
“Certainly the biggest question I see from employees is, ‘Why do I have to go into the office when I can do what I do at home?’ For the employer side, it really is important to know what you want them to do in the office that isn’t happening when fully remote.”
Not all employees are reluctant to take up their daily commutes again. Moores said attitudes have shifted for some workers, who feel that working from home every day has taken a toll.
Because of the spectrum of employee reactions, she said making a plan and setting both firm and flexible rules allows employers to be prepared for whatever response they get.
“It’s a risk assessment,” she said. “On the employer side, there needs to be preparation for what the policy is and sticking to that. If they can’t stick to it, how much are they willing to adjust? Are they going to give a little or not? It’s good to have that thinking in place before launching the strategy, because there may be some collateral damage. They need to consider whether they’re ready for that.”
The strategy needs to extend to the hiring process. “There are a percentage of candidates out there for whom it is a hard line. They do not want to work in an office. They want to be 100-per-cent remote. As an employer, you have to be prepared. You need good, clear, solid policies.”
Moores added that changing work environments can be disruptive and stressful, which also may impact performance. As a result, a focus on the little things can make the transition more comfortable.
“I feel like a re-onboarding plan would be a lovely idea,” said Moores. “Like anyone coming back from time away from work, it’s actually quite difficult when you’ve been in a home work environment to go back to sitting in an office for eight hours a day. Employers should ask if there are new things the team needs. Is there new technology or new offerings? What would make the office more comfortable, even if it’s just new desks or pens?”
“Employee-centric” approach increases chances of success
Nepean construction supplier Giatec Scientific Inc. is one company that has prioritized comfort in its process to reintegrate employees into the workplace.
“We have invested in creating a physical workplace that is bright and comfortable,” Kimberly Stone, senior vice-president of finance and operations, said in an email to OBJ. “We renovated our offices last year, adding a cafe for employees to gather in, more collaborative workspaces and a variety of individual working spaces. We also provide great coffee, snacks and weekly lunch.”
Stone said Giatec decided against implementing an RTO mandate, instead adopting an “employee-centric” approach to give its team complete flexibility. Instead of having any requirements, employees are encouraged to come in once a week for certain meetings or events.
The results followed on their own.
“For the people that can do their jobs remotely, we’ve started to draw people into the office by setting the tone at the top,” she said. “Teams and employees have the ability to choose what day they come in and also the hours they spend in the office. Because we’ve maintained flexibility and empowered teams and employees to set their schedules, we really haven’t had a lot of pushback. We still do have folks that come in less than others, but that’s okay.”
While a hybrid model has been a compromise, Stone said it’s the best approach for the company’s success.
“Setting a mandate would have been an easy short-term solution. But mandates have not worked long-term from the evidence we’ve seen and they do not drive an engaged and motivated workforce,” she said. “Time in the office needs to be purposeful, so we are doing the hard work as a leadership team to focus on creating in-person interactions that make our teams want to be in the office and leave them feeling that the time spent in the office was meaningful.”
