How To Attract Workers to the Office

I'll eat my hat if there is a better headline to illustrate the polarization of hybrid work today than this... "Martha Stewart says America will ‘go down the drain’ if people don’t return to office!" And, if this doesn't convince you that we are nearing the trough of disillusionment on hybrid work, nothing will. (Et tu Martha?)

Over the previous 12 months, the number of employees working in a hybrid way has steadily increased, while the number of employees who work only at home or only in the office has decreased. Hybrid Work is entering the trough of disillusionment.

This is the stage of an innovation that often makes or breaks a product or strategy and we're wallowing in it right now. One of the big challenges is that, unlike many innovations, we sat at the peak of inflated expectations for years while return to office plans were crafted, communicated, anticipated, and then brushed away like a sand mandala by the next variant.

In my view, sitting for so long right at the peak, where early publicity produces a number of success stories -- often accompanied by scores of failures, set us up for the nose dive we're in right now. The kind where everyone, even Martha Stewart, has a convicted opinion on hybrid work.?To understand the impact that this groundhog day approach is having we have to understand the conversation that's happening right now between leaders and workers.

Here's how it usually goes...

• Executives say "Come to the office."
• Workers say "Why?"
• Executives say "Because I said so..."
• Workers "...?"

Sometimes it's more creative...

• Executives say "Come to the office."
• Workers say "Why"
• Executives say "Because face-to-face interactions fuel our innovative culture, but don't worry all of our meetings will still be digital..."
• Workers: "LOL"

So how can organizations attract workers back to the office? In our 2022 Gartner Digital Worker survey, we asked workers, "Which of the following would be the top five motivators to work from the corporate office?" We were shocked to find the the top choice was hugely diverse.?

The way I see it you can group the motivators by three themes, face-to-face interaction, amenities of the facility or culture, and consequences.

Face Time: If you're going to attract workers looking for face time you've got to have a strategy for making sure the right folks are in the office at the right time.

Facilities and Culture: If you're going to attract workers looking for amenities of the facility or culture you've got to have a strategy for making sure that the top 3 non-face time motivators are well met. (see Here or There? Why choose when you can have the Best of Both?)

• Desks have been outfitted with the best equipment
• Your office has a design that allows for distraction free focus
• The office is a hub of activity that creates ample opportunities for connection and belonging

Consequences: If you're going to attract workers with consequences (and I really hope you aren't) you've got to have a strategy for tracking, reporting, and punishing non-compliance. (See Google ramps up return-to-office push by using in-person attendance as part of employee performance reviews)

Gartner seat holders can use the interactive data tool to identify the top motivators for working from offices by country, industry, organization size, job level and generation. And, the hype cycle to identify innovative strategies and technologies that will help propel them out of the hybrid work trough.

• Data Interactive: How to Attract Employees Back to the Office
• Hype Cycle for Hybrid Work, 2023

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