Going back to offices: What leaders are saying?

While offices globally start opening up to bring their employees back to the floors, what will be the fate of the decision at the face of the new variant of Covid-19? What are the emotions of the employees about going back to the offices? Are the employers doing enough to ensure their safety? Here is what the leaders are saying:  

Andy Hurt, Managing Director, Poly ANZ 

Many workers suffer "post-holiday blues" after a break. But the "return" from the home office to the physical office is unchartered territory. For some employees it’s likely to be an energising experience: a relief to reconnect with colleagues and get back into a regular routine.  

For others, it may be more difficult. Commuting is a known source of stress, costing time and money. Many people have reorganised their lives, adopted pets, even moved away from city centres. Being back in the daily grind of the rush hour won’t be something they welcome. A recent McKinsey survey found that one in three workers were stressed by returning to work, compounding mental health issues that many have struggled with during lockdowns.   

Businesses who want to maximise productivity and retention should seek to offer as much flexibility as they can. The pandemic has shown us that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to working. Hybrid work is one option to get the "best of both worlds". Above all, all workers should be included wherever they are working from and provided with the tools and training they need. 

Steve Bennetts, Head of Growth & Strategy - Employee Experience Solutions, APJ 

As organisations across Australia work to build hybrid work policies aligned with evolving preferences and expectations brought on from the pandemic, new research from Qualtrics reveals a majority of employees in the country believe in-office workers will have a career advantage. With hybrid work models now widely accepted as the default environments for many businesses and governments, a study uncovers the impact these policies are having on employee experience - which varies across the different cohorts within the workforce. Despite the shift to hybrid models, most respondents (47%) said they would feel pressured to work in the office when restrictions allow. Managers (57%) and directors (51%) were again the most likely to agree with this statement. More than half (57%) of respondents aged 25-44 also agreed. For some employees in Australia, there was a perception that working remotely will negatively impact their pay, performance, and future responsibilities. 

Employees are actively looking to join organisations that meet their expectations, preferences, and values. And while hybrid might be the preferred operating model for many, simply enabling employees to work wherever they choose is not the answer. Rather, the challenge for employers is making sure no individual gets left behind or is disadvantaged by the transformations underway.  

The most important step businesses and governments can take to ensure their hybrid policies are inclusive of the entire organisation is continuously listening to and taking action on the voice of their employees and candidates. 

Lauren Oakes, CEO, Megaphone Marketing 

Addressing and acknowledging anxiety exists when returning to work and working to get around these is hugely important and it was important that through lockdown this structure was built. To keep our employees engaged and also take care of their wellbeing, we held random lunches online, game events, team building etc.  

As the communication will be shifted back to the ‘desk-to-desk' system, it is crucial to restructure the office and build a collaboration centre in the middle and desks around the edge. In fact, as people have been working within an enclosed ambience for the last two years, it is important to offer them a combination of the open and in-office workspace.  

However, citing the possibilities of yet another wave by Omicron, ensuring their safety should be the utmost important factor. So, it would be wise for the leaders to bring teams in one at a time instead of summoning the whole workforce. 

But it is to be remembered that due to the comfort and flexibility offered by the remote working phase that the employees have been enjoying over the last two years, some part of the workforce may not readily join office again. So, the idea should be to create exciting reasons to come into the office, team events, lunches, guest speakers 

Last, but not the least, it took all some time for the employees across all the industries to shift all-digital platforms for functions. Likewise, after two years of this practice it may take some time for the same employees to push their limits and come out of their comfort zone. Thus, ideally, they should be provided with a s2-months window of when they have to come back in so that there is no pressure and they can assess and ease in.  

Conclusion 

Though there have been multiple opinions and emotions about onsite working, citing the ongoing crisis and its level of fluctuations, employers need to be highly careful in order to not expose them to the Covid-19 infection.