The benefits of in-person work

?(Spoiler: it’s not the lunch spread)?

You’ve probably come across memes and LinkedIn posts that reinforce a shared sentiment: remote workers need a compelling reason to return to the office.??

Catered lunch, kombucha on tap, and foosball tables at the office are cool nice-to-haves, but they’re not sustainable ways to keep your teams engaged at work. Though tantalizing, these perks don’t outweigh the cost of a commute, both time-wise and financially, or time away from our precious families and pets.?

The collective pushback on stale ideas of what truly enhances office culture makes for fun memes, but more importantly, it enables a dialogue between employees and workplace policymakers.?

As Debbie Lovich, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG said in a State of Flex webinar , the current era of work is “radically employee-centric.”?

Employees are empowered to be more vocal about what does and doesn’t motivate us in our work lives—and listening to that feedback is critical to business success.?

Brian Elliott of Future Forum writes in the Charterworks newsletter , “Too often, executives aren’t open to hearing other perspectives, and willfully ignore the facts and statistics supporting flexibility. Instead, they fall back on their own experiences to guide their views.”?

Remaining open to a range of perspectives when it comes to hybrid policies is crucial, as is trusting employees to manage their workloads. When it comes to encouraging in-office work, focus on the bigger picture, not just the perks.?

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Water cooler talk: The benefits of in-person work

There are immense benefits to in-person and hybrid work, they’re just not (for the most part) food-related. To create a compelling working environment, teams should be answering to a higher calling: collaboration and connection.?

The data is out there:?

• At Atlassian, intentional team gatherings boost connection by 27%
• A survey by MIT Sloan found that 86% of Gen Z workers say the foremost way they create new professional connections is through face-to-face interactions.?
• Employees crave flexibility, with many citing that as a reason to stay with a current company, or seek new opportunities.?

With a flexible or hybrid policy, employees can get the benefits of in-person connection while also gaining the benefits of quieter WFH days and fewer commutes.?

Yes, pizza parties are cool, but there are other strategies to fuel hybrid success, including:?

1. Providing tools that enable teams to coordinate on in-office days
2. Having a data-driven workplace to understand how your spaces are utilized
3. Connecting your systems so you can get the most accurate data

These three strategies support one another. Data on occupancy and utilization can inform policies, and providing tools that boost engagement means more data for facilities teams to collect. Connecting your systems with integrations gives teams the ability to gather accurate data with less workplace friction.?

Put it into practice

Learn how to connect your office from our Fall Summit webinar .??

How can you get started in creating a data-driven culture at your office? Here are 6 data-driven best practices for hybrid . From the OfficeSpace blog.?

Getting employees excited about returning to the office is no simple task. Here are our suggestions for implementing a plan . From the OfficeSpace blog.

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Resources from this newsletter:??

??Listening to (other) experiences , Brian Elliott, for Kevin Delaney’s Charterworks newsletter

???Is hybrid the end game? State of Flex webinar , August?