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Enticing employees back into the office – Mary T. O’Sullivan
By Mary T. O’Sullivan, MSOL
“The reason people are not going into offices is because they got used to a lifestyle and cost structure that suits them”. Andrew Mawson, managing director Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA)
“I don’t understand people”, the client grumbled. “Why won’t they come back and work in the office?” This remark is a common one among many managers these days. After almost two years of uncertainty, managers are eager to get their businesses “back to normal”. What many fail to understand is that their employees are now used to the autonomy, lack of commuting time, and escape from the usual office politics. Employees don’t miss the office anymore.
Post pandemic “normal” has new meaning. It’s now imperative that employers make the office a desirable place to be or continue to face employee resistance to being physically present. Some of the incentives come right out of the Google and Apple playbook – provide free meals, relaxation areas outfitted with ping pong tables, and even quiet spaces set aside for people to recharge in a high stress work environment. According to the New York Post, new office areas now offer indoor gardens, libraries, and spaces with soft, cushy furniture for people to unwind in. Some businesses are even offering shower facilities, nap areas and laundry services. The reality is employers are no longer in the driver’s seat and organizations must be careful to avoid being too dictatorial in telling people what they can and cannot do. Employees’ tolerance levels for being bossed around after almost two years of self-direction is almost nonexistent.
Some companies realized early on how effective providing more conveniences to employees can be. Back in the late 1990s, I worked for a company that introduced a concierge service for employees, with on-site support for travel arrangements, dry cleaning, even finding a repairman or care for an elderly parent. In today’s environment, more companies are hiring these services as additional perks to lure employees back into the office.
In addition, people’s mental health may also be improved by physically returning to the office. Loneliness has been rampant during the pandemic, and many people are feeling its effects. Working in a siloed environment can make the days drag on endlessly and lead to feelings of discontent. Only seeing people in two-dimensional video sessions every day creates a sterile environment, void of real human contact. So, smart companies are beginning to offer more social contact to encourage people out of their caves to rejoin humanity. Planned networking, outdoor walking meetings with teams, and even lunches with the boss are all tactics used to loosen people away from their private “Sleepy Hollows”.
Thankfully, all these changes add up to an improved work culture which makes the office a place people look forward to, instead of dreading. What’s the ultimate benefit? More connections, more mentoring, shared experiences, and the chance to ask a colleague questions, even gaining new insights. According to the New York Times, “work culture is 10 times more significant than compensation in predicting staff turnover”.
So, to answer my client’s question, as to why employees resist his entreaties to return to the office, maybe his office isn’t a comfortable work environment. The boss may not realize the age of directing people is coming to a close. People, especially Gen Z, need to sense more freedom in their daily work lives, and it could be that his office isn’t providing that sense of autonomy that people crave today.
“In the conversation about returning to in-person office work, it sometimes seems like bosses and workers are operating in different realities.” Edith Cooper in The New York Times
Connect with Mary:
www.encoreexecutivecoaching.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marytosullivan/
Read all Mary’s columns here: https://rinewstoday.com/mary-t-osullivan-msol-pcc-shrm-scp/
Mary T. O’Sullivan, Master of Science, Organizational Leadership, International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach, Society of Human Resource Management, “Senior Certified Professional. Graduate Certificate in Executive and Professional Career Coaching, University of Texas at Dallas. Member, Beta Gamma Sigma, the International Honor Society. Advanced Studies in Education from Montclair University, SUNY Oswego and Syracuse University. Mary is also a certified Six Sigma Specialist, Contract Specialist, IPT Leader and holds a Certificate in Essentials of Human Resource Management from SHRM.