Why Are We Being 'Forced' Back Into The Office?

Over the last coupe of years many office-based workers have enjoyed and become accustomed to a flexible hybrid or work from home lifestyle.

But many companies globally appear to be trying to put an end to that, and many employees can't see why.

What the Companies Say.

Many business leaders say they want workers back in the office because their physical presence increases productivity with better communication, enhanced teamwork, greater agility and fewer distractions.

Is it True?

Research on which is more productive —WFH, hybrid or all in-office— is split and seems to depend on the company and individual worker ethos, not the location.

However, research across Europe and America has consistently shown that communication, teamwork and business agility are unaffected by worker location be it WFH, Hybrid or office based.

So what is it about really?

Almost every major office-based company globally has massive financial burdens to carry in the form of office space and real estate.

The global expenditure on office buildings is calculated to be over ￡600 billion a year, and the most recent data for global workplace utilisation shows offices are occupied at less than 30% of capacity on average, and that over 50% of corporate desks are only used for a couple of hour per day.

Which means corporations are wasting a staggering amount of money on real estate and office space. In many cases the financial agreements and contracts for these offices were planed years in advance and fixed into long term budgets and legal commitments that extend for years into the future.

It’s little wonder that the historical long term investment in what would now appear to be underutilised and unnecessary office space is making some businesses worry. Its having a huge negative effect on financial reporting and margin.

So to hide the fact these long-term financial commitments have turned out to be a mistake, due to an unforeseen and unpredictable global change, companies are simply ignoring the change and using these offices as originally intended. Ordering employees back to their desks, means they can include the office space as assets and report the building costs as a positive and manageable expense. That way on paper at least, maybe no one will notice that those offices and desks are just not needed.

Is the plan working?

There is no easy answer to that.

Most office workers are now fully aware that returning to the office is unnecessary, and there is a better way to do things. So in most cases these unwanted return to the office mandates have been shown to negatively effect employee mental and emotional health, disrupt work/life balances, increase employee stress, lower productivity, drive up employee dissatisfaction and spike employee attrition.

However ensuring and mandating employees use these office spaces is allowing the companies to continue to offset the costs and financial burdens in the short term. Enabling many companies to stay in the black while they find a way to adjust to the new world. Returning to the office also supports the huge number of local business that depend on footfall from office based workers and it protects the national financial infrastructure that has grown around commuting and commuters.

So while employees in general are ready and eager to embrace a flexible workstyle. The financial and business world is not. And that’s the main point. The business world and general economic status quo is not ready to take the financial hit that a mass closing of corporate offices could cause.

What is the way Forward?

Over time I’m sure we will see a steady global move away from office-based work structures toward Hybrid and WFH systems, but this will take time.

Unfortunately, until then us office workers will just have 'do as we're told' and return to the office if instructed. After all not many of us can afford to lose our jobs by refusing to adhere to a company policy.

But don't be silent, we still need to keep pushing back and requesting WFH and Hybrid roles. So keep the WFH/Hybrid conversation going and keep the positive pressure to change on wherever possible.

Del Page (26/09/2024)