Return to the Office: Is It Necessary?

Last year, in one of my masterminds, an HR manager from a major airline commented that they sent all employees to work remotely during the pandemic and now their executives wanted them to return to the office. It's interesting that in 2022 it was all about quiet quitting and quiet firing, and now the new wave is that we want employees to return to the office.

Companies like Amazon recently announced that employees must return to the office at least three days in person, claiming that it will improve collaboration and strengthen culture. Employees' response was significant, as a group of them revolted via Slack. In August of last year, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, released a similar statement about returning to the office three days a week to improve collaboration. The employees' reaction did not take long to come, as they signed a petition arguing that employees can do an exceptional job from home. And the list goes on, as Citigroup, JPMorgan, Google, Salesforce, Starbucks, Twitter, Uber, and Disney have also spoken out in the same direction.

What is behind this wave? What is really happening? Do we not trust our employees? Have we not trained managers and executives to lead remote teams with the necessary skills to create trust, strengthen their team, set clear goals, and build accountability? I wonder.

Some companies, like the ones mentioned, want people to return to the office, while others remain in a hybrid model, and others remain remote permanently. Do we really need to return to the office?

During the pandemic, a study from the University of Chicago and the Mexican Autonomous Institute of Technologies from March 2021 found that 40% of participants claimed they were more productive working remotely than in person. Another report from Future Forum reported that employees were 29% more productive when working remotely and 53% claimed greater focus than those with fixed schedules. The McKinsey American Survey Opportunity report concludes that 58% of Americans work at least one day a week from home, and 35% of them have the option to work five days a week, anywhere in the country and the economy, including many blue-collar jobs.

On the one hand, the arguments in favor of returning to the office claim an increase in productivity, creativity, and collaboration among employees. The idea of creating community, the Tribe as I call it, or improving organizational culture, may involve higher levels of commitment and employee retention. Some even argue that it improves work-life balance since we can separate life and work.

On the other hand, there are also arguments in favor of continuing to work remotely. The biggest argument is flexibility and autonomy, which can lead to higher levels of satisfaction in work-life balance and improve our mental health. Remote work has provided us with cost and time savings. It is inhumane the "commute" in many North American cities and in half of the world's major global cities (Delhi, Istanbul, CDMX, São Paulo, Los Angeles, Tokyo, to name a few). Above all, the great advantage for me is access to a better talent pool that we can get by allowing remote work. In addition to opportunities for neurodiverse employees who may have greater employability. And let's not forget the high percentage of employees here in the US and in Spain who have dependents to care for.

The decision must be made on a case-by-case basis. Obviously, industrial or manufacturing companies probably require a return to the office/plant, except for some employees who do not need to be in person.

Before we delve into some questions for you to reflect on, I would like us to explore a not-so-hidden reason behind this new wave of returning to the office: trust in the employee. I would invite you to consider whether your executives or managers have really created enough trust in their teams.

Microsoft released a study where 85% of leaders had serious doubts about the productivity of their employees in remote environments. Another Citrix report claimed that half of its leaders believe that when the employee is out of sight, they do not work as hard. 48% of leaders installed software to monitor activity on their employees' computers.

And in Spain and Latin America, I believe there is a very strong limiting belief of not trusting and giving autonomy to the employee. In my personal opinion, the shortcomings of managers, especially in dedicating the necessary time to get to know their team and work better with them, instead of promoting work through OKRs, generating accountability, and promoting greater connection in a virtual environment. I think we should start reviewing the culture of "warming the seat."

I would like to leave you with several questions to reflect on when considering the return to the office for your employees:

1.    What are the unique circumstances and needs of your organization? How can the decision to return to the office affect you?

2.    What are the benefits and drawbacks of working in person or remotely for your organization and your employees?

3.    What factors, such as industry, location, and demographics, should we consider when making the decision?

4.    How can we balance the needs and preferences of employees with the needs of your organization?

Here in the US, employees continue to prioritize work flexibility over the same level of salary at 87%, according to McKinsey. The equivalent of 92 million Americans can work remotely, of which 80 million have chosen that option and a very high percentage mention flexibility as a motivator for changing jobs.

The idea of returning to the office or not is complex and multifaceted and depends on the circumstances and needs of each organization, but what is clear is that the war for talent continues, and there is some tension between employer flexibility and employee demands.

See you next month, never stop learning.

#keeponlearning

Íñigo Sánchez-Cabezudo

Source: Original blog post at AEDIPE CENTRHO