Return to the office or not, now that’s the question, but should it be?.......

With freedom day being knocked on by at least another month so has the governments guidance of work from home if you can, this has reignited (not that it ever burnt out) the conversation as to whether working patterns have now changed or should change for good.

For every forward thinking tech firm stating they will never insist there staff return to the office there is a banking institution stating that if you can eat in a restaurant with your mates then you can return to the office, and you will.

So it’s safe to say that many industries and many companies are divided.

I have been employed for more years than I have worked for myself, holding senior positions with autonomy but never had my name above the door (until recently). I get the stresses and strains of paying the bills, truth is I always did, I understand the plethora of issues that come with having employees (not in any particular order) sickness, lateness, office politics, morale, performance, bonuses, the list goes on, so I get why employers want their forces to return, they know where they are, they feel they better monitor them if they’re in one place, a neutral place with no ‘distractions’, but for me it’s not about this, it’s simply down to two things;

Trust or lack of it and change or fear of it.

The smaller independent companies typically want to be able to see (sometimes literally) what their money is getting them (wages for hours), they sit proudly looking over their teams in their designated premises and know/think this helps them in the long run. Busy office means busy company right?

Knowing your teams are putting in the hard yards each day is satisfying right, seeing them ‘clock’ in each morning and again at the end of the day fills employers with a feeling that is hard to fathom. Proud of your busy working office, thriving with life as all your ‘happy and engaged’ employees sit around hour after hour, day after day producing results.

Here’s a thought, how many of these smaller companies have stopped to consider how much clock watching is done or how many hours are spent not actually working?....

The larger corporations empower sometimes complex levels of senior management to filter down messages from the top, ensuring a seamless strategy is adopted or something of that nature, but the truth is they too want bodies on the ground to monitor the larger teams, they want bodies back in the office and to stay there, so much like the smaller firm with their teams, they can monitor performance, attendance, punctuality and such by having large teams office based.

Very recently I heard a line from a fantastic startup company who are really making waves in their field, yet the response to “can I work from home?” was met with a firm “no!”, a brave employee followed up with “why?” and was greeted with an equally firm “ because at home you’re distracted, I’m not paying you to put your laundry on and take the kids to school or dogs for a walk!” Short sighted?

Let’s not lose sight that most business owners have the ability to determine how many hours they commit to, how visible they are and of course if they video call you or turn up to the office. So is it unreasonable for employees to have the same now and in the future?

The irony is if you add up the average commuting time of a Londoner (getting to and from the office), then add to this the endless water machine chats, plus the other office staff convos, regular visits to the office canteen, coffee shop visits, lunch, elevenses, that 4pm hunger that you get which can only be solved with another visit to the local store, plus throw in the required breaks from the computer screen then pit all of that against a short dog walk and/or laundry load I think working from home can produce just as many ‘committed hours’ than the average employee gives when at the office. Plus of course with the flexibility offered to start and finish at different hours (because of the lack of commute) the boss might find that when they do log on/arrive at the office, some of the workload is already underway or completed.

All of this however only focuses on the hours spent working, now consider the mood/mental state of the employee in both circumstances.

Consider not just a rejuvenated employee returning to work from a short break or holiday, that refreshed feeling they exuberate upon their return, it’s infectious, it rubs off on their co-workers, we all know it and love it, but consider also before they went…… how disruptive they were, how in need of a break or some time away from the office they required, how they mentally winded down at the start of the week before they left, we could see it but didn’t act on it as they’re going away soon, they’ll come back a different person (you’ve probably not spent much time on this point I know!). So consider the possibility that the later needn’t happen again and the former could be each day?

Imagine an environment where your teams want to come in, they actually enjoy it, they’re not phased by their commute, as they don’t do it every day, they have a balance between work and life, meaning they are more productive, but more importantly they’re happier, more content with life at your company, this will likely mean loyalty will improve and longevity then follows, as they’ll be less likely to be looking at your competitors and trying to move as the grass always looks greener. A lot of companies have already managed this, amongst other key points flexibility with hours and working days forms part of their culture.

To answer my question from the start, return to offices or not?

For me it’s an easy one. It’s a yes, but with a dramatic change.

Let’s change the expectation that we must go in each day, spending Monday to Friday at a desk, I’d encourage companies to work out a diary system that allows for flexible hours and working days for their teams, ensuring those that want to work from home 1-2 days a week can work from home.

Don’t insist they start earlier, or adjust pay/travel costs as a result, if you do this then you’re missing the point and opportunity that you have here, simply sit back and enjoy the delight of the completely unexpected bit of news being received and then once the dust has settled monitor it and assess if it’s needs adjusting.

Please don’t just track the laundry loads done or the calls missed when they were walking the dogs, remember this happens in the office each day anyway, you just don’t feel the same about it as you can see them wasting time at the coffee machine but they’re in the building so you’re ‘happy’!!!

So return to the office but not en masse, not everyday and let’s give some flexibility and trust to our teams and see how the flourish.