Working from home has been a popular option for many years—even before the Covid pandemic forced many people to vacate the office. Back in 2019, around 5% of people were fully remote, with over 60% working a hybrid mix of remote and in-office days.
Of course, the pandemic did drastically change these figures. And now, several years later, many people are still logging on from their home each day. In some companies, this is beginning to cause tension, as managers prefer a return to the office, while employees generally want to stay at home.
What’s the best approach for organizations today? Well, as with many HR initiatives, it really depends on your culture, employee demographics, the nature of your work, and more. There are pros and cons of returning to the office, and it’s important to consider all aspects and perspectives before considering your plans.
Pros of a return to the office
1. Being in one place is good for culture
A strong organizational culture is the key to engagement and retention. But how can you develop that culture if your people aren’t in the same room? This is one of the biggest challenges facing leaders of remote teams and one of the main drivers of return-to-office policies.
Bringing people back to the office won’t guarantee a thriving culture. However, it does give leaders a chance to get to know their team members better, enhance the water cooler chats, and place the organization’s values front and center at all times.
2. Office workers get more recognition and rewards
Remote workers often have one big complaint: they’re overlooked. Since they are less “visible” compared to their counterparts who go into the office, remote workers feel they may receive less recognition and slower professional development.
There are certainly ways to work around this, and some managers have done an excellent job of acknowledging their remote team members. However, in-office employees tend to have an advantage, as their leaders get to see them in action every day.
3. Access to collaboration and knowledge sharing
Some of the best ideas happen in organic conversation. In-person conversations can lead to people sharing best practices, offering advice, or inspiring others to take action. People from different departments might bump into each other in the corridor or elevator, leading to conversations that might not happen otherwise.
Your team Slack might have a #watercooler channel, but it probably doesn’t produce as many of these serendipitous connections. When people are together in one place, they have a unique opportunity to educate and inspire each other.
4. A better work-life balance (for some)
Remote working is generally popular, but it’s worth noting that not everybody enjoys it. Loneliness is one of the most common complaints—a lot of people simply don’t enjoy spending their working day alone in a study. They would rather be face-to-face with colleagues and customers.
Another complaint is that working from home makes it harder to disconnect. A new report by NFP found that 69% of fully remote employees experience burnout. When your office is a few feet from your bedroom, it’s easy to log in for a while and send a few emails. This can lead to a stressful sense of being always on, even at weekends.
Cons of returning to the office
There are definitely some advantages of in-office work, many of which directly benefit employees. But, to get a balanced perspective, it’s important to look at the downsides.
1. A worse work-life balance (for some)
Work-life balance is the biggest advantage of remote work for employees. This is especially true for people with long commutes—not having to travel might mean that they save hundreds of hours each year, which can be life-changing for those with busy family lives.
Remote work also introduces a certain level of flexibility. It is usually easier for remote employees to schedule essential tasks, like childcare or medical appointments. Being in the office makes it much harder to arrange a schedule around your own needs.
2. Recruiters have a smaller talent pool
Remote working is transformational for hiring managers. Instead of being limited to nearby candidates, you’re now free to hire from anywhere in the country—or anywhere in the world. This is especially helpful when you’re competing against local rivals for hard-to-find talent. A strict policy of in-office work will cut off this supply of talent.
Such a policy might also impact your ability to hire locally. Around 42% of candidates say they are less likely to apply to a job if it doesn’t offer their preferred working model, with hybrid being the most popular.
3. On-site workers are more expensive
Running an office isn’t cheap, especially in a prime location. You need to pay for rent, utilities, furniture, insurance, and building maintenance. One study estimates that remote work saves $10,000 per employee per year.
Coming to the office each day is also expensive. The average on-site worker spends an additional $5,000 per year on expenses such as transport and meals. This might come from their pocket, or it might be covered by an employer-provided benefit. Either way, it is an additional expense for someone.
4. Strict in-office policies can provoke turnover
Return-to-offices sparked the first Great Resignation, and such policies could impact retention again. One survey found that around half of office workers would consider quitting if their employers forced them to give up working remotely.
Much of this comes down to poor communication. Around a third of workers feel that their employer misled them about plans for remote working. Trust is a vital part of the employer-employee relationship, which is why any policy changes must be handled with care.
Should you bring your team back to the office full-time?
As we’ve seen above, there’s no easy answer to this question. There are strong reasons to bring the team together in a place where they can collaborate, support, and learn together. There are also benefits—for employers and employees—that come from remote work.
One thing is for sure: changing your remote work policy will require intentional, honest communication and thoughtful planning to mitigate any potential risks. We recommend that if you are bringing your team back to the office full-time, do so on a phased approach to ease your team back into the transition. Return-to-Work plans often go wrong when it is a surprise to employees, and they do not have ample notice to make necessary arrangements.
New research reports 98% of people would like to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers. It’s no wonder that many organizations land on a hybrid model to appeal to all. To learn more about hybrid work model approaches, you may enjoy these articles:
- How to Build Engagement When Managing Hybrid Teams
- How to Conduct Performance Reviews for Remote and Hybrid Teams
- Why Remote and Hybrid Work Is So Important In Healthcare
One thing is for sure: changing your remote work policy will require intentional, honest communication. You’ll need a capable HR team that can listen to employee feedback, explain new policies, and help everyone reach the best possible outcome.
Need to talk to a consultant? Book a call with Helios HR today!
