The case for getting people back to the office
This argument is prompted by the fact that we're all living in a post pandemic world where for two years, many of us have successfully worked completely remotely, never even stepping into the office.
Now all of a sudden, many companies are now scrambling to get us to go back into the office.
The argument is that collaboration for teams suffered during extended periods of remote working.
Everyone is trying to figure out whether to:
- Bring people back all the time, and go back to when things were before?
- Should people be back some of the time (a.k.a hybrid)?
- Or none of the time (a.k.a fully remote)?.
Some tech companies and leaders have already voiced out the case for getting people back, such as JP Morgan with CEO Jamie Dimon's demand for return-to-office and the infamous Elon Musk's mandate for Tesla.
Former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt said he doesn't think leadership can be done in a hybrid or remote setting. Leaders need to be with their people and show empathy in front of people and be there for them.
These are all valid points.
in fact, when I think about myself when I was growing up in my career (eons ago), I really appreciated being in the same room with my leaders.
I learned about verbal and non-verbal cues, how they thought about issues, how they worked with each other, and many other soft skills.
Now let's see the other side of the argument...
Returning to the office is a tough pill to swallow for many
On the other hand, Professor Adam Grant from Wharton argued that productivity is about purpose and process, not place.
it's driven mostly by WHY and HOW we work, not where we work.
Often times, leaders mistake presenteeism as productivity. If somehow, people would just go back to the office, then somehow they will automatically be engaged and thriving.
As we know, the matter is not so simple.
People have tasted freedom and flexibility for so many years, so asking them to trade that off in favour of 'management's mandate' might just hurt their sense of belonging.
That is not to say it's impossible to ask people to return.
In fact, many prefer a hybrid working arrangement where they can come to the office to socialize and collaborate with others.
Employers can consider enhanced office perks, a more experiential office space, or more opportunities for team collaborations, perhaps? But how do we know whether the resources we put in place actually impact employees' sense of belonging and productivity?
Which brings me to my next point...
It comes back to what people need
In reality, productivity works in different ways for every person. And trust me, I have seen it with my own eyes.
More than 80% of EngageRocket's employees wish to work from the office only 2 days a week.
When we tried to get people in more often, productivity and engagement lowered. When we respect people's wishes, they perform at their best.
What founders, managers, and leaders can do is provide the MEANS to achieving better productivity. This may mean giving them the tools they need to perform and collaborate better.
A great way to know is to ASK people what they need.
They might simply need a tool to help them connect better with their remote co-workers, more team bonding activities, or just a solid reason to go back and mingle with their office friends.
Have you identified just the right balance of working arrangement for you and your team? How does it look like? Connect with me on LinkedIn and send me a DM, I'd love to hear your own experience!
About the author
CT Leong is the founder of EngageRocket, SaaS startup with a mission to turn digital connects into meaningful human connections at work. Before becoming an entrepreneur, he was a Regional Director of Gallup - one of the world's top HR advisories. He graduated with a degree in Economics at the University of Cambridge, and has an MA in Political Science from Columbia University.