The Great Divide of Working from Home or Not
Under the current climate of staff shortages and the war for talent, many employers are faced with the all-important question whether directing teams back in the office is the right approach or will it result in undesired turnover. With that in mind, it is therefore crucial to better understand the intricacies of working from home and the precedent that was established during the pandemic. Can we ever revert to pre-pandemic times, where a large majority of businesses didn’t offer flexible working arrangements to the masses? Or have our ways of working evolved, and we should now strive for balance?
Headlines from the Australian Financial Review (AFR) about Australians saving an average of $10,000 per year since the change to working from home hasn’t missed the opportunity to capture the attention of employees in favour of working from home. This topic has hence resulted in companies being divided on how to manage the return to the workplace and how to strike balance.
Furthermore, a recent resurgence of COVID-19 has public health experts calling for working from home mandates to combat the 40% increase in COVID-19 cases. However, as it stands there are no current mandates and emergency measures enforced by the government, therefore businesses must exercise good judgement on whether employees can and should work from home.
What could appear as a simple judgement call isn’t necessarily the case and statistics are depicting a concerning narrative when employees are directed to return to the office. According to research from Future X Collective, 24% of employees reported that they would actively seek another role should their employer direct them back to the office. Flexible working arrangements is further exacerbated by the growing differences between what employers and employees want and this is illustrated by some of the latest statistics.
See below the statistics according to the Melbourne Institute –
- More than 50% of Australians can perform their work task from home
- One third of Australians want to spend their entire working week at home
- 64% want to spend half of their working week at home
Interestingly, there has been a drop in the percentage of employers agreeing with their employees regarding the amount of time that should be spent working from home from 44% in April 2021 to 32% in January 2022. All whilst the proportion of employees wanting to work more from home has increased from 31% to 40% in January 2022. The above statistics clearly signal a departure from what employees want and what employers are prepared to agree to.
Focus on finding balance
Hybrid work is here to stay and has proven to be effective according to multiple studies such as the study by Standford University that found over a period of 9 months, 16,000 workers working from home increased their productivity by 13%. The ideology is to entice employees in the office over time as opposed to forcing them back in without any consideration for their preferences.
Simple tips to lure employees back in the office –
1. Granting employees time to reconnect
It could be as simple as an additional 10-minute break each mandatory day for morning coffee runs or lunch. Or even an earlier finish on Fridays for afterwork drinks with colleagues. Most of us have missed these opportunities to spend down time with colleagues and really connect.
2. Foster communication
The ability to have impromptu meetings whilst at times disruptive, can also be very powerful in allowing colleagues to talk to each other and troubleshoot through issues and potential solutions.
3. Subsidise travel cost
Consider whether some travel subsidies would help employees with the travel cost associated in commuting to the office.
4. Set one mandatory day
Establish a set mandatory day that all employees need to be in the office. This will ensure that employees are in the office at the same time and fosters a sense of togetherness and promotes collaboration.
5. Offer perks to being in the office
Providing free coffee, biscuits or healthy snacks for employees is a good option to help entice them back in the long term.
These initiatives might seem small and trivial but don’t underestimate how much of an impact they might have when combined and executed well. Hopefully over time they will entice employees back enough that they volunteer to be in the office more often that they are required to.
