{"id":34787,"date":"2022-12-24T00:39:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-24T08:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=34787"},"modified":"2023-01-03T04:14:08","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T12:14:08","slug":"return-to-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/return-to-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Return to Office"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\u201cWhen will it happen?\u201d That question often arises in discussions of employees returning to the office when COVID-19 fully subsides. But as the third anniversary of the pandemic\u2019s onset approaches, that question might be superseded by two others: \u201cDo employers want their employees to return?\u201d and \u201cDo employees want to return?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
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A Gallup survey in June 2022 that indicated 60% of fully remote workers would be \u201cextremely likely\u201d to look for other opportunities if their employer decided not to offer remote work at least some of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, some employers have made it clear that they want employees back for the career-building, mentorship and institutional knowledge creation that in-person interaction facilitates. Others want to make use of their investments in campuses and facilities. Also, in the case of the securities industry and others, it’s easier to execute compliance, legal, risk, audit and regulatory obligations onsite rather than remotely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDuring these times of the pandemic, sense of belonging has been broken. The workplace enables that sense of belonging,\u201d says Gia Ganesh, vice president of people and culture at Florence Healthcare, a clinical trial software provider in Atlanta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But many employees have grown accustomed to working from home, with family obligations, high gas prices, automobile maintenance and lingering COVID cases all weighing against spending 40 hours weekly in the office, even factoring in the socialization opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEmployees really want flexibility and choice over where, when and how to work. They don\u2019t want to be told: \u2018You need to be here on these days.\u2019 They want to be able to choose,\u201d Ryan Luby, associate partner at McKinsey & Company, told CNN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hybrid work as an alternative<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fifty-two percent of respondents to a CBRE survey in June 2022 intend to reduce their office space over the next three years, mostly to eliminate space they expect to be freed up by remote work and more efficient use. Another 39% say they plan to expand their office portfolios over that period, mostly because of hiring and business growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many corporate observers believe that hybrid arrangements, with work split between home and employer offices, enable a satisfactory work-life balance, with technology the link that connects workers to their colleagues and customers. Successfully implementing an \u201canywhere, anytime model,\u201d says London Business School professor Lynda Gratton, starts with \u201cidentifying key jobs and tasks\u201d to \u201cdetermine what the drivers of productivity and performance are for each, and think about the arrangements that would serve them best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gratton adds, \u201cEngage employees in the process, using a combination of surveys, personas, and interviews to understand what they really want and need,\u201d and \u201ccommunicate broadly so that at every stage of your journey everybody understands how hybrid arrangements will enhance rather than deplete their productivity. Train leaders in the management of hybrid teams and invest in the tools of coordination that will help your teams align their schedules.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Accommodation, compromise crucial to transition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If employers want their employees back, they \u201cneed to think through what, exactly, they want to accomplish by bringing people back, why, and be transparent with their employees,\u201d says Elise Freedman, a workforce transformation practice leader with Korn Ferry. \u201cThat starts with answering \u2018What is the role of the office, and how do we get our most effective work done?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour culture is going to rise or fall depending on how your managers implement [a return-to-office plan] with employees,\u201d adds Jared Sparato, a Microsoft vice president. \u201cIt\u2019s about getting people back to a shared headspace of what work will look like in the coming months and being transparent about what employees versus leadership expect so there\u2019s no surprises.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other observers are adopting a wait-and-see attitude regarding the future of work, including CBRE real estate broker Jeff Pion, who told the Los Angeles Times<\/em> in July, \u201cI think we\u2019re in the second inning of this. Companies are still trying to figure out what\u2019s best for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tech as a liberating factor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cImprovements in technology have been gradually liberating workers from the need to be at their desks for years, but remote work forced by the pandemic accelerated the push away from assigned seating,\u201d the Los Angeles Times<\/em> reported in July 2022. Going forward, \u201ctechnology may hold keys to making the office more appealing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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