The Value and Limitations of Returning to the Office
Return to office policies range from demanding employees go back to the pre-pandemic model of commuting every day to the office, to expecting employees to be in the office a few days each week, to giving employees total freedom to decide when they go into the office — if at all.
But which of these policies are likely to be the most effective? It depends on what companies want to get out of having people share a common workspace. But by keeping the following things in mind when creating a return-to-office policy, you can create one that works for your organization and for your employees.
Recognize What Will Not Work
Virtually everyone wants to have in-person meetings at some level. But that is not the same as commuting every day to an office. Employees do not want to return to the way things were before COVID-19, even if some leaders might wish it would. While there are no best practices for returning to offices, we can be pretty certain these two things will not work:
- Not returning at all. Research on virtual teams found that having in-person meetings positively impacts collaboration, commitment and morale. Employees do not need to be together all the time to be effective. But there is value in bringing people together to meet face-to-face. Furthermore, people miss getting together. In general, remote workers tend to have higher commitment and well-being than in-office employees. But the 100% virtual work model companies had to adopt in 2020 is definitely not ideal nor is it likely to be sustainable over the long-term.
- Returning to how it was before the pandemic. Most employees do not want to return to the “commute to the office just to be in the office” cultures that existed prior to the pandemic. Employees want flexibility to decide when to go in based on the nature of their job, work location, living arrangement and personal preferences. Organizations that push a one-size-fits-all “everyone commutes every day” model are likely to see employees quit, and candidates turn down offers. Leaders that advocate returning to “how it was” should be challenged on whether where people sit is more important than what people do. What sort of candidate wants to work for a company that restricts employee freedom just so its leaders can cling to the past?
Related Article: Let's Not Go Back to 'Normal'
Define the Purpose of Returning to the Office
The disruption caused by COVID-19 has given us a unique opportunity to rethink the purpose of offices. This starts by recognizing that the purpose of offices is NOT to manage employee performance. Sadly, some leaders assume if employees are physically present in the office, they are more productive. This assumption reflects an ineffective, highly controlling, and non-inclusive form of leadership. Evaluating performance of people based on how long they sit in the office is a terrible way to manage people. Maybe the person who stays late is an inefficient, poor performer who takes longer to get tasks accomplished, while the person who leaves earlier is a super productive, high performer who is balancing their work goals with picking up their children from school? There are very few jobs where it makes sense to evaluate employee performance based on where someone sits and how long they sit there. Any leader who needs to see employees every day to effectively manage them is a lousy leader.
Offices exist to serve three legitimate functions:
- As a resource – by providing an effective workspace with access to materials and tools needed to perform job tasks.
- As a reward – by allowing employees to work in an aesthetically pleasing environment or giving them access to recreation and entertainment resources (e.g., ping pong tables).
- For collaboration – by providing a place for people to interact and build working relationships.
A mindful return to the office requires examining the role the office plays for different employees relative to these three things. Does an employee want or need a dedicated workspace outside of their home? Does their job require access to specialized equipment? Do they put value on working in a nice office or appreciate having access to office amenities such as food or exercise equipment? Last, and most complex of all, how important is it for them to be physically next to the other people in the office?
Related Podcast: What Makes an Office Worth Coming To?
Focus on How People Interact, Not Where They Sit
Some executives calling for a return to office claim people are not as creative, collaborative or productive when they work remotely. This claim is false. Just look at data collected during 2020 and research predating the pandemic. Remote workers are often happier and more productive than in-office workers. On the other hand, meeting face-to-face does affect the quality and nature of communication. The question is not whether employees should meet in person. They should. The question is whether this requires commuting to an office.
Learning Opportunities
Many people believe working in offices creates more effective “live” interactions between employees. Live interactions are defined as two or more people interacting at the same time. In contrast, asynchronous interactions involve channels such as email, where people do not interact simultaneously. There are different levels of live interactions including real time texting, phone conversations, video chats and in-person conversations.
Live interactions play a critical role in supporting employee collaboration and building employee commitment. As the world becomes more remote, live interactions are becoming less frequent, which further increases their value. A mindful return to office strategy does not just focus on returning to the office. It focuses on using office space to maximize the occurrence of effective in-person live interactions.
Having two people sit in the same building does not mean they will talk to each other. In fact, one benefit of remote work is it makes people more aware of the importance of scheduling live interactions. In addition, while in-person meetings have the potential to be highly effective, they can also be a waste of time. Everyone has spent time in a meeting wishing they could leave and do actual work. Leaders who overemphasize being in the office can also create dysfunctional organizational norms. For example, using “face time” as a way to increase influence and curry favor with senior leaders. This can negatively impact the power structure of a company by rewarding people based on where they sit instead of what they know.
Related Article: 7 Tips to Court Collaboration
Interactions Are More Important Than Offices
Bringing people together for in-person meetings to collaborate on shared projects, have potentially difficult conversations and build the kind of human connection that only occurs when we directly look someone in the eye is important. But having these sorts of live interactions isn't contingent on working in a central office. And remember, in-person interactions can create their own problems. Consider the following scenarios.
- Your company requires you to come to the office to attend an all-day training seminar. Is this use of your time likely to be valuable and memorable or inefficient and boring?
- Your manager expects you to meet in their office every Friday morning for a one-on-one conversation. Does this make you feel engaged or controlled?
- A leader’s office is moved off the floor where the CEO sits and onto the same floor as the people on their team. Did their leadership power increase or decrease?
As we return to offices, take care to retain the positive things gained from working remotely. The primary criteria for job success should not be the willingness or ability to commute to an office for those roles where remote work is possible. Being together in an office can enable highly valuable live interactions. But a daily commute shouldn't be a requirement to have the sorts of live interactions we associate with offices. Nor do live interactions need to be in-person to be effective. The best approaches to returning to the office balance the benefits of virtual work with the value created by in-person interactions. Such approaches ensure employees return to the office in a manner that is mindful instead of mindless.
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About the Author
Dr. Hunt’s work focuses on using technology to increase workforce agility and performance through improving employee experience, development, engagement, inclusion, and well-being.
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