Return-to-the-Office Incentives, Flex Office Space, and Hybrid Coordination Tax.

Hello and welcome back to another edition of Working Out Workspace!

I write about workspace and workplace culture. This week, I’m discussing; time off in exchange for office days; the rise in demand for flexible workspace;

Giving Staff Time Off As A Reward For Coming Into The Office More

It is no secret that companies have struggled to get some staff back into the office post Covid. It is still a real challenge for employers, who have tried to incentivise staff with newly design office spaces, free food and other perks.

But one company is giving staff the ultimate reward for coming back when it wants them to — a day of annual leave.

At Envoy, teams are required to be in the office the same three days a week. If everyone on the team meets those requirements, that team gets an entire Friday off the next month.

The arrangement started as a challenge after the company’s initial RTO rollout fell flat, and it’s worked so well it’s now a permanent arrangement.

“For Envoy it’s incredibly important that we have people in the office, not only from a?general sort of interaction, collaboration, ideation and creativity piece, but also because our products really depend on people coming together and being in the office,” said Jacqueline Sharma, VP of People at Envoy.

Envoy initially asked staff to return to the office for four days a week in late 2022 but they pushed back over what they felt was an abrupt and sharp shift. Their VP of people was tasked with developing the new RTO policy when she started in her role last year.?

Almost 80% of workers do not take the maximum amount of time off that they are allowed, according to a survey by the Harris Poll conducted in April among over 1,000 employed U.S. adults. In that survey about half of workers said they get nervous even requesting to take time off, and about the same said it makes them feel guilty.?

Office Landlords In The UK Are Going To Increase Their Flex Portfolio

Office landlords in the UK are going to significantly increase the amount of square footage in their builds that is dedicated to flexible workspace.

A new survey of 250 UK office landlords commissioned by workspace provider?infinitSpace?has found:

?? On average, 36% of respondents’ office space is currently dedicated to flexible or coworking space. They anticipate this to grow to 54% by 2030.

?? 10% of landlords predict that their portfolio will be almost entirely (91-100%) flexible workspace by 2030, up from 3% currently.

??Over half (52%) of landlords believe that their office buildings need to be redesigned or retrofitted to meet changing tenant demands and needs.

“While demand is booming, businesses are surrounded by greater choice than ever and are becoming more discerning when hunting for a workspace to call home. Competition is tough in the flex market, and to stand out from the crowd, attract occupants and future proof their assets, landlords must ensure their new workspaces are perfectly aligned with businesses’ demands,” said Wybo Wijnbergen, CEO of infinitSpace.

What Is Hybrid Coordination Tax?

A hybrid coordination tax is the time spent working around the logistics of actually meeting with people you need to when some are working in person and others are working virtually.

If you want to get the right people together in some kind of hybrid arrangement it requires some overhead of communication and/or technology. Meaning a potential reduction in the productivity of said meeting.

Only 8% of companies mandate staff work in person on?specific days of the week, according to Scoop’s latest Q2 Flex report. Allowing for more flexibility and autonomy but making coordination tougher.

The average worker spends about 37% of their time at work in meetings or coordinating them, according to a report from scheduling app Reclaim AI. And that time spent in meetings and managing them costs employers an annual average of over $29,000 notes the report.

How Old Is Too Old To Work?

The conversation about how age relates to work is boiling over after U.S. President Joe Biden has pulled out of the Presidential race.?

This comes at a time when more and more people are working past the retirement age.?For many good reasons.?

While employers have tried to make progress towards rooting our ageism in workplaces over the last decade, it seems far from being eradicated...?

Research from career site Ladders, conducted 10 months ago, found that while most American workers support age limits for politicians,?they do not support age limits for their workplaces. When people did support age caps, it was mostly for executives, where 47% favoured a cap for C-suite roles once they reached 75 years old.

Of the over 1,000 people surveyed, 73% believe age discrimination in the workplace is common, both for older and younger workers.?

There isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach for inclusion in the workforce, but there are ways to welcome older workers, starting with not judging based on age during an interview process. Moreover, providing additional health benefits, offering flexible work schedules, and debunking stereotypes.

As always if you are thinking of reconsidering your workspace or workplace policy then we would love to help. Email us on [email protected] at any time.