Approaching "Return To Office" - Way Forward For Leading Organization

Sometimes, getting into something may be easier than getting out of it. Just ask the HR professionals witnessing up close employees' return to office under hybrid work as companies roll back pandemic-led work-from-home benefits. If moving employees into remote work overnight at the pandemic's outset was a challenge, bringing them back too office under a hybrid model suitable to both employers and employees at a time of record-high attrition levels is proving to be a bigger one.

With vaccination gathering pace, the Omicron wave proving to be mild and India Inc. becoming more confident of managing the virus better, employers collective chants have also changed from 'the future of work is remote' to 'the future of work is hybrid' to 'one size does not fit all'. Yet to crack hybrid model that works for them, several companies have been gearing up for more in-office work under a hybrid mode, with specifics varying across industries, management styles and roles. Employees are back mostly in banking, financial services and even in IT and start-ups, which were expected to lead the hybrid-work pack given their digital quotient.

Employers, on their part, say they find a lot of value in bringing employees back, despite remote work not affecting productivity. It's not about the productivity. "But it is important for us to continue to invest in culture, help the person learn the way of doing things, and enable social interactions among the teams so that the person feels more belonged.