How to encourage employees to come back to the office?

Summary

• Post-pandemic, more and more staff prefer the flexibility of remote working. However, there are some jobs where efficiency improves if staff are in the workplace.
• Communication and improving the employee experience can make your workplace a more attractive proposition to remote and hybrid workers.

Over the past couple of years, working in physical offices has ceased to be the default model for employees and businesses.

More and more workers have embraced the flexibility and work-life balance that remote work offers. This was demonstrated by a 2021 Microsoft report, which showed that most workers want to be able to work from their homes at least some of the time.

However, there are certain elements of business that quite simply function better when everyone is in the one workspace. Hence why in this article we are looking at how to encourage staff to return to physical offices.

Improve the experience

We are living in a different sphere to pre-pandemic times, with more and more employees realizing that traditional work arrangements can be improved. If you want staff to return to the office, you need to talk to them about what they feel is important.

Improvements for post-pandemic workplaces could include better design, efficient lighting, and more living spaces for higher employee satisfaction.

Relaxing some rules may become necessary to attract workers to your office. For example, employees may no longer be interested in corporate dressing. Hence, permission to wear their preferred casual clothes could make the office more enticing.

The office should be a place that employees look forward to coming into and an environment where they feel like they can be productive.

Be open to hybrid working

Most employees are struggling with the reality of having to return to the office, with 39% of employees consider quitting their roles if their management does not have a flexible approach.

Management teams can organize company-wide surveys to avoid this conflict. Being more informed about preferred work structures can help put a system in place to suit everyone.

Hybrid work offers a middle point between physical and remote work. This can be a win-win for both employees and employers and also make a return to the office less daunting.

Highlight the aspects workers have missed about the office

Remote workers have been vocal about the benefits of remote work, but before the advent of full-time remote jobs, there were aspects of physical workplaces that many of us enjoyed.

While encouraging people to come to the office, organizations should highlight these.

For instance, reports have shown workers have missed the separation between work and home, and the social aspect of work. These key points are great examples of areas that organizations can highlight.

Make the commute easier

Organizations should make workplace commute easy for their employees. This will make coming back to the office a better experience.

Companies can deploy list mile automation software like Wayleadr to improve their staff’s workplace commute experience.

One instant benefit from this would be in parking. Instead of spending lengthy time looking for spaces, employees could book one before driving to work. If all spaces are booked, they can take other transportation means to work. This increases convenience and could have an affect on morale.

Offer incentives

Organizations can offer targeted employee rewards and incentives to encourage more employees to come back to the offices.

According to a Blackhawk Network research, workers like working from home, but monetary benefits can motivate workers to resume work physically.

Last thought

Employing strategies and initiatives to encourage workers back to the office will help you and your business have a busier and potentially more productive workplace.

However, it is important that you have the right facilities in place to get the most of this. Wayleadr can help with your businesses’ efficiency and it can also make the office a more attractive place for commuters.

Contact us today for a free demo on how we can help you.