Organization struggle to get Workers back to the office with difficulty retaining Talents
Nicolas BEHBAHANI
Global People Analytics & HR Data Leader - People & Culture | Strategical People Analytics Design
?? Three years after the start of the pandemic in 2020, all surveys have same results, it's still a big challenge to bring people back to the office.
73% of organization report difficulty enticing workers back to the office but still 68% of them are considering or implementing strategies to increase on-site work. Some recent attempts by organizations such as 亚马逊 , 苹果 , and Twitter to mandate stricter return-to-office policies have been met with reluctance and, in some cases, highly visible protests. Organizations with mandated on-site work policies experience much greater difficulty retaining workers than those giving employees a choice, according to a new research published by The Conference Board using data from a survey of 185 leaders from a variety of industries and company size that was conducted from April 25 through May 14, 2023.
?Hybrid for office workers and On-site for manual services workers
Researchers found that a majority of office/professional workers in this study continue to work remotely at least part of the time and 13% of industry and manual services workers have a hybrid schedule.
??Citing concerns over productivity, innovation, culture, and promotion, many executives are eager to have workers return to the office, and some organizations are reversing or revising their remote work policies.
While 56% of workers continue to work remotely at least part of the time, it's just 3% points lower than a year ago when the public health emergency was still in place.
?Networking/relationships and collaboration are the most compelling to keep employees coming back
Unsurprisingly, researchers noticed that networking/relationships and collaboration are the most compelling.
?Team building and celebratory events are the most impactful incentives for RTO
Researchers noticed that organizations are using a wide range of incentives to entice workers back to the office but they observed that team building and celebratory events topping the list:
Top impactful incentives for Return to office:
?? Team Building and celebratory events
??Flexible days/hours
??Relaxed casual dress code
?? Commuter benefits (e.g. parking, public transit...)
?Labor shortages still persist specially for manual services
Researchers found that labor shortages and finding qualified workers and retaining talent continue to plague organizations, especially those employing mostly manual services workers.?
?On-site work is an obstacle to talent retention
Board finds that offering hybrid work is important for attracting and retaining workers. Researchers have found that strong mandates to return to on-site work can work against attempts to retain workers, especially women, causing yet another conundrum for HR leaders.?
?Cost-cutting measures will continue
Researchers found that many organizations have implemented cost-cutting measures in the last 6 months and many plan to do so in the next 6 months.
Organizations are implementing other cost-cutting measures in addition to layoffs. In the last six months, 46% have reduced travel and 43% have restricted hiring. These and other cost-containment measures are expected to continue, with expecting reduced travel in the next six months, and expecting restricted hiring.
??Researchers conclude that one major set of competing objectives HR leaders are currently attempting to strike a balance between are continued demands for flexibility and control from workers on the one hand, and rising pressure from leadership to bring workers back to the office on the other hand.?
Hybrid work may be the solution that satisfies both worker and employer objectives in the near term as researchers await additional evidence about the impact of remote work after the pandemic.
Thank you ?? The Conference Board ?researchers team for these insightful findings:? Robin Erickson PhD Barbara Lombardo, PhD Rebecca Ray
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1 年Thanks for sharing - this is outstanding insight. It's interesting how these trends have continued. The only way that companies will successfully brig employees back to the office is if they give them good reasons (not mandates) to be there. Mandates just cause attrition and recruitment challenges. A good start would be setting up distinct spaces for quiet work (like at home) and others for team collaboration. Much of the anecdotal evidence shows that many employees don't want to go to the offie because they can be more focused while working at home in a quiet place.
Founder & CEO @ Lever Talent | Host of The Lever Show | Helping leaders develop talent strategies that leverage a tech-empowered future.
1 年Just the fact that the only reason that can be cited for returning employees back to the office is executive mandate, says all you need to know. Culture...it's what your employees do when you're not around. Do they truly get the direction of the company and would they use the same value set when making decisions that you would? Companies with offices before the pandemic thought they were amazing at crafting culture. The truth is most were horrible at it. Put a bunch of humans together, and they will form bonds, support each other, and feel an obligation to move the company forward - that is what humans do with little effort from the company. Executives are now tasked with creating the same magic without the physical environment. The key is to focus less on going back to the old environment and more on the continuous communication, training, and celebration of their mission, vision, and values. End rant. ??
Lead consultant in HR Strategy & Value Management. Enhancing Value through Human Performance. Delivery of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Training. Lecturer and International Speaker on HRM and Value Management.
1 年I am not surprised at the outcome of this research. However, remote working can have a detriment to both the employee and employer if it is not well managed. You might be interested in this article: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/peter-drucker-remote-working-effect-organisation-george%3FtrackingId=YapEyFVeWlE%252B2%252BIuUf9sbA%253D%253D/?trackingId=YapEyFVeWlE%2B2%2BIuUf9sbA%3D%3D Thank you for sharing another thought-provoking post Nicolas
Speaker, Author, Professor, Thought Partner on Human Capability (talent, leadership, organization, HR)
1 年Nicolas BEHBAHANI The Conference Board continues to do outstanding and timely research. The employee/employer relationship ebbs and flows with supply and demand of talent. Top performers are always in demand and will continue to have choice about where, when, what, and how they work. Top organizations that give employees value will also continue to source top talent. Where someone works (home vs. office) is one of many factors that top performing employees consider when choosing where to work. My sense is that employees and employers will find the right mix of where, when, what, and how to work.