This has been the big debate since the pandemic ended – do you stick with remote or go to a hybrid model? And if you go to a hybrid model, how do you get people back in the office? As even Google can tell you, it’s not an easy task.
From the organization’s perspective, there are a couple of factors that play into their need for employees to be in the office more often: (1) office space and (2) personal interaction. The costs associated with leasing office space are obviously expensive, and organizations want to maximize every last bit of space that’s leased. It’s like buying a three bedroom condo with the intent on renting out two rooms. What if those tenants never move in? You’re stuck with a mortgage of a three bedroom condo that you thought you were going to make some money from. Organizations are making the argument that employees are more productive in the office which helps personal interaction. Say you need to connect with Debra in marketing on something real quick. You can just stroll over to her cube instead of Slacking her and waiting for a response. It’s that face-to-face interaction that organizations yearn for. Their argument is it boosts productivity and creates genuine connections.
There is a third reason but it’s the unofficial one: organizations are worried their employees aren’t working. I hear this from employers all the time when I talk to them about their hybrid models. There is that feeling that employees are laying around at times and not fully engaged in their work, and the fact that employers can’t see them physically is what makes them worry.
From the employee’s perspective remote work means rolling out of bed and opening up the laptop. It means having the freedom to go workout before or after a bit of work in the morning; the freedom to begin at 6am, then maintaining that freedom to go run an errand at 10am because they already put in a few hours of work. Employees see remote work as an opportunity to get work done on their own time, as long as they get it done. They don’t want to be confined to a set schedule anymore where you wake up, get ready and drive to work until about 5pm or 6pm then go home again. Yes, they want to take 30 minutes and see what someone is up to, but then they want to crank it for the next 3 hours, and maybe another hour at night before they go to bed to equal a day’s worth of work. Maybe even get ahead of some things on a Saturday morning or a Sunday evening. They want to do all of this without the constraints of operating in a 9 – 5 mindset and environment.
So how do you approach this if you’re an organization? Every organization is different – one size doesn’t fit all. I’ve seen new startups that begin from scratch go with a full time, 100% remote approach that offers the flexibility to hire from anywhere in the country and expands the talent pool. Those companies put extra effort into having their employees connect online more often. For example, some companies offer more leisure time during Teams or Zoom calls on a Friday afternoon or pairing mentors with newer employees to help them get acclimated quicker.
For organizations, which are sometimes more established and larger, they’re more inclined to go with a hybrid model or even an almost fully onsite model while offering only 1 day a week to work remotely. Free food and snacks doesn’t solve the problem. Google for example, offers this plus massages and other perks for their employees on campus. And that still doesn’t work. It all boils down to that “F” word again – freedom. If you’re going to stick with the hybrid model and require employees to come to work 2, 3 or even 4 days a week, you have to give them the freedom to be able to work flexible hours. It becomes trickier in sales but it can be done. Do they have to take their elderly father to a doctor’s appt that has abruptly come up? Don’t frown on that. Does an employee want to work from home a whole week and come into the office all next week? Work out a deal. Be flexible as long as you’re committing to what’s best for your employees.
It’s not an easy balancing act but it is one where organizations and employees need to continue doing. It’s an ongoing discussion that isn’t going to end soon but it is one that will continue to evolve as we navigate the post-pandemic work environment.