For some workplaces, returning to the office post pandemic is becoming a challenge.
Mostly, trying to gain ‘buy in’ from employees who have adjusted to remote ways of working. Or as in the case with younger gens, where their flexible values and needs have finally been served.
The question of ‘Why do we have to go back to the office?’ is on the lips of many younger gens. And rightly so. The pandemic forced many a business into new ways of working, where there was no choice but to operate remotely. Businesses either adapted, or they didn’t. The latter, demised.
While argument exists for a return to work based on industry type, or specific roles, the pandemic challenged the assumption that work must be done in an office. The old assumption that “being in the office equates to productivity” pulled apart.
Yet despite this, there are some workplaces – those who could reasonability offer flexible working arrangements – that are forcing their employees back into the 5-day grind.
My question is, for what purpose?
The stats certainly don’t support it.
A study conducted by Citrix, which interviewed 2,000 respondents (millennials and Gen Z), found that over 90% didn’t want to return to the office full time. Instead, they preferred a hybrid or staggered approach. While the sample size is small and the study based in the US, qualitative data based on asking most millennials their preference, validates this. (Just ask).
Interestingly, the study also interviewed 1,000 business leaders and found a disconnect between managers/bosses and younger gens. In fact, 60% of employers believed their millennial and Gen Z employees wanted to return to the office. This on its own, represents an alarmingly disconnect between teams and leaders in the workplace.
Unless there is valid and legitimate reason for making employees return to the office, then workplaces have several challenges on their hand.
Engagement and performance
Forcing employees to do things they don’t want leads to resentment. Resentment leads to disengagement, and disengagement leads to poor performance. You can’t grow a business with unhappy, disgruntled employees.
Culture and moral
The push to go back to the office reflects powerful statements about a workplace: they’re not listening to the needs of their people; they’ve regressed to outdated ways of working; they’re not moving ahead with technology; they’re not valuing what people want. All this festering within a culture of discontent.
Retention and recruitment
There’s a high probably that workplaces forcing employees back are being led by leaders who are operating under old paradigms, where they still want everyone to go along, to fall in line, to keep quiet and follow.
But the reality is, most of the global workforce is being powered by younger gens – who won’t simply sit back and follow. Instead, they’ll leave.
So, what’s the solution when we know that most younger gens don’t want to work full time from the office? How as a business can you mitigate the risk?
Identify the business need. Is there a legitime business need for employees returning to the office? If there is, communicate the why.
Compromise. Flexibility in some part, must be offered. Even if it’s the occasional shift to working hours, younger gens want to know that something is being offered.
Listen. Take the time to listen to what your workforce wants. If you can’t adapt entirely, then find a middle ground.
Build trust. Older gens grew up in a culture where face time equated to productivity. That mentality may have worked once, but it doesn’t now. Especially with studies suggesting that employees are only productive for as little as 3 hours a day. Instead, building in tools that instill trust in leaders, such as regular meetings or performance measures, is helpful.
While moving into this post pandemic world can be daunting for business, it doesn’t have to be a challenge. It starts with understanding and accepting that the world is working in new and improved ways, that must accommodate people.
