What is Your Return to Office Approach?

I am noticing more and more of my clients that have offices in the city starting to make decisions around getting their people back into the office.? I spoke with a CEO this week who mentioned that some staff were on board and wanted to spend more time in the office, whist others were resisting and trying to sneak away for a long weekend (almost every weekend—his words not mine!).?

Some organizations are doing this really well, whilst others are struggling and having a difficult time encouraging staff of the benefits of working in the office again.? So, what makes this work for some companies but not others??

There are a range of strategies you can use to make this work.? The leaders that are making this transition work the most effectively are the ones that have identified a strategy and came up with an effective way to make it work—and are doing things to help get their people more engaged along the way.? They are looking at specific roles and analyzing the roles and activities to have a better understanding of how to make the workplace a great place to want to hang out in (remember those days?).

In my book Hybrid Workplace Hacks, I explored the multiple options that are available and provided a range of things for leaders to consider.? The energy, enthusiasm and connection that occurs in person will always be stronger than individuals dialling in and looking at one another on a computer screen.? Here are a few things to be aware of when trying to find the best flexible workplace:

Fixed vs Flexible Approach.? How the decision is made and what days are flexible is something that needs to be carefully considered.? A Fixed approach has the Executive Leadership team making the decision for everyone and telling them what days people need to be in the office.? A Flexible approach allows departmental leaders working with their teams to identify the common days that are best to be in the office together.?? So what approach are you taking?

How Many Days Working Remotely.?? As I explored in my book there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the number of days people work remotely.? In saying that I am noticing that most staff are working at least 1 day remotely—and I am also noticing that this is often a Friday (everyone likes to have the last day of the week without fighting traffic into the office!).? Also by allowing staff to work remotely, you can help retain them as the research still shows staff are happier and more productive this way.

Create Team Bonding Experiences to Encourage Returning to the Office.? Rather than taking an old school approach and just demanding staff to return to the office, identify activities and events you can do to encourage people to want to come into the office more often.? I have one client that is now having Friday afternoon food and drinks to try to build a team community.? They have found rather than people automatically taking Friday off (er I mean working virtually) they focus Friday morning to get twice as much done so they can relax and enjoy the Friday afternoon event.? This can include themed meals and learning master classes to shift mindsets and build a stronger more positive culture.

The leaders that make people look forward to the energy and buzz of being in a collective team are the ones that are getting more success at encouraging their people back into the office.? In fact I am receiving a number of calls from clients to run mini 1 hour Masterclasses that provide a mindset or skills top up during these activities on a Friday.

If you're ready to implement these strategies or want to explore other ways to motivate your people, I’d love to work with you. ?Feel Free to reach out for a quick discussion on how I can help you and your people!

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Stay True to Your Path

Scott