ARE FRIENDSHIPS AT WORK ENOUGH INCENTIVE TO #RTO?
What made me wonder about how much of an incentive work friendships really are for people to #RTO, were a few articles I read recently. The first was about the “Return to Office Wars” in Fortune, and the second was “Why Workers Aren’t Coming Back to the Office” in #WSJ. The third was “Inside The Push To Make Everyone Friends at Work” also in #WSJ.
I believe I mentioned in a previous article some of the interesting ‘perks’ that some organizations are using to entice people back into the office. But the "Friends at Work" article just blew my previous examples out of the water.?I think the best way to bring you up to speed on this, is to simply quote the article:
“Last month, Digital Turbine executives flew 200 of its further-flung employees to an Austin-area resort so they could eat barbecue and dance with local co-workers in between workshops and meetings. Senior director Abigail Levine messaged attendees via Slack with an offer to crimp hair for the ’80s-themed party. London-based sales vice president Mark Slade dressed up as English rocker Adam Ant.
The get-together wasn’t without mishaps. One employee had to be rushed to the emergency room after he slipped while breakdancing. (“Those are bonds that you would never get if you were doing everything online,” says Slade, who accompanied the co-worker to the E.R.) ?(Emphasis added!)
The visual in my mind was pretty funny, I have to admit, though my sympathies are with the poor employee who landed up in the emergency room! I just had to wonder, though, about those ‘bonds’ that were apparently created for this employee. When did those happen for them? Was it during their breakdancing, or while being accompanied by the Vice-President to the emergency room?
On its own, the article, “Inside The Push To Make Everyone Friends at Work”, would’ve been amusing, but I’d already read the other two articles I mentioned and the comparison made me question where things are headed in the near and long-term #FutureOfWork.
The first two articles, “Return to Office Wars” and? “Why Workers Aren’t Coming Back to the Office”, addressed some very real concerns employees have.?Like escalating costs of commuting, child care, clothing for work etc. Real costs that are depleting wages already under pressure from inflation, rising interest rates and so on. I don’t know about you, but in my mind, having good friends at work and enjoying employee bonding events, aren’t really on the same level of importance as making ends meet.
领英推荐
It makes me wonder why there is still such a ‘war’ going on, month after month? Is there an underlying reason for some of the extreme measures being used to entice, or coerce, people back into the office??And why are organizations so determined to have employees back in the office, in spite of all the research showing that productivity and job satisfaction are up when employees have a choice about where to work? And, why would they continue forcing this mandate when they are losing employees who would rather quit than #RTO??
Maybe the reason is the elephant in the room that no one wants to mention? Could it be that the underlying issue is justifying expensive, but now empty office space?
Is the amount of office real estate standing virtually empty the real driver behind #RTO??Real estate that has been clad with impressive image-building corporate identities, all of which comes at an equally impressive cost. Costs that are now unjustifiable while empty.?Perhaps it’s also the ripple effect of commercial city centers becoming less populated, with significantly lower traffic counts.?Not to mention the inevitable impact on all the supporting city businesses whose ‘local’ trade has dried up.?
Is it a case of weighing up more pressing considerations, than disenchanted employees??And do organizations feel that because employees need to work, they’ll simply have to #RTO, or be unemployed??
It’s an interesting conundrum.?
I know I write about this quite frequently, I guess because it’s still debated such a lot. Given that Optevo makes work life easier wherever we work, whether in an office or remotely, I don’t have an ulterior motive, I just find the current situation very curious.
I do believe there’s room for flexibility when it comes to where to work. I think that each organization has to find what works for them and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Even so, it seems to me that there’s a growing need for organizations and employees to come together to find equitable solutions that preserve the interests of both sides and map out common ground so that we can all move forward together.?What do you think??
Chief Experience Officer at billquiseng.com. Award-winning Customer CARE Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Blogger
1 年Andre, thank you for sharing your ?? insight-FULL article. Like customers, employees seek the best emotional value in their experience. When they complain, they don't complain about their salaries or wages. They complain about the value of their experience for the rate you are offering them to pay. If the best emotional value in their family experience does not supersede your rate of pay, then you all win. If their best emotional value is in their social interaction at work, then you all win, too. But, if the best emotional value in their family experience trumps the value of social interaction in their work experience, then YOU lose. Employees who are just satisfied with their work don't work hard because they want to. They work at their productivity bare minimum because they have to. And satisfied employees will leave as soon as they find a work experience or a pay rate they feel is better. You earn no real employee loyalty. Employee attrition and recruitment will ALWAYS be a liability and expense. But when leaders put employees as "People First" and CARE for their people, their people will be engaged and enthused, adding emotional value to their work experiences. Thank you, Andre. As you are always, be GREAT out there!
Creating Leaders at All Levels | 6x Author | Founder of The Leadership Academy Platform | Leadership Consultant | Speaker | Coach ?? Daily posts on Leadership Principles
1 年I think Andre it’s a debate as to whether people are actually working when they’re at home. I know I’ve read the reports. That people say they are starting work earlier. Can’t shut off the computer at five and continue working until six. But the amount of interruptions they receive at home, and the amount of productivity that may be wasted, is the question on everyone’s mind. I think this issue is fear from management. If I can’t see them, that means they’re not working. It’s a psychological fixation. It’s sort of like that remote person doesn’t work in the office prior to Covid, he, or she was always the first to be let go when times get toughbecause there were no relationships with him or her. I am in agreement with you. Hyperinflation, the commute to work, the cost of gas, the cost of childcare, or all part of the equation for the person who has gotten used to working at home. No amount of barbecues in Austin will do it PS if you see me dancing, drag me off the dance floor
Award-Winning Author, The Canary Code | Professor, Organizational Psychology & Business | Speaker | Autism Employment | Neurodiversity | HR | Dignity | ?? Moral Injury | | Disability Employment | Global Diversity |
1 年Filling buildings with people who do not want to be there and then trying to make them be friends is such a contrived idea. Going back to the 1980s is not a solution to 2020s problems.
Enthusiasm Ignitor??Self-Doubt Eraser?? Confidence,Cognitive Behavior & Life Purpose, Coach & Consultant?? International Keynote Speaker ?? Writer?? With Emphasis in Women's Empowerment, Leadership & Spa??
1 年Alot of great questions here Andre Williams. People do miss the socialization when they work from home. They don't have to go back to work to get it. Empty real-estate is another issue altogether. I personally think it comes down to productivity. If you are more productive working from home, then what's the problem. Bring them back for team building. If you are not productive at home then you may need the structure of the office.
Leadership Development | Executive Coach | Speaker | FORBES Contributor | Author
1 年Terrific article about the challenges and different perspectives on returning to the office Andre Williams! It will be interesting to see how the different company philosophies on this will play out over the next 5 years. Thanks for sharing.