How to bring your team back to the office

Many clients ask me about WFH. Is it (more) productive? Should it be an employee right? How would I know what my team is doing if I don't see them around me? All valid questions, but to me, not the right ones to ask.

First, let us put the productivity question aside. Productivity was already difficult to measure when we had everyone in the office pre-Covid. Trying to compare productivity between office, remote and hybrid work would be a messy task on the best of days. And for those of you with larger teams, just thinking about the complications of relative productivity across different functions, roles, tasks, etc. could make going to the dentist seem like a beach vacation.

From the employee's point of view, WFH's attractiveness is compelling. You eliminate commuting time. Some focus better without the office's distractions. Others combine WFH with minor household chores. Many recharge mid-day via an after-lunch power nap. When you add up these seemingly disparate factors, it seems to me that WFH is powerful because it enables an employee to live life as one unitary individual. In WFH, an employee can bring all of herself to work. This is the underlying draw of WFH.

If leaders want to see their teams in the office, here is the WFH challenge question they should ask: "What do I want my office to be to my teams?" If we see the office as "a place for work," or "a place to produce and sell stuff to customers," then it should not surprise us that so long as work gets done and stuff gets sold, teams feel it does not matter from where things are made to happen.

In contrast, if we were to tell our teams that the office is where they can just "be," a totally different dynamic emerges. The office becomes a place to which everyone gravitates because they belong. But that sense of belonging must come from a common purpose, founded on a vision and values that are shared deeply by everyone at the personal level. When the group's purpose, vision and values are so aligned with the personal beliefs of team members, every team member would be bringing her true self to work, whether in the office or at home.

What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments please.