?Image Source: Pexels
The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the way we work. As the world grappled with the unprecedented challenges of a global health crisis, remote work became the norm for many employees.
But now, companies are pushing hard for a return to the office and it has become clear that the traditional full time in-office model no longer makes sense for a large part of the workforce – particularly those who’ve successfully done remote work now for quite _literally_ years.
The Disconnect Between Employers and Employees
One of the main reasons why return to office policies are failing is the disconnect between employers and employees. While many CEOs and senior leaders believe that in-person work is essential for collaboration and career development, employees simply don’t see the benefit.
Collaboration happens virtually now. Zoom/Teams/WebEx/Google Meet/whatever all make it easy to have a face to face conversion anytime with anyone on your team. Plus we have text chat tools like Slack or others making quick collaboration WAY quicker than physically tracking someone down, interrupting them and doing it in person.
A study conducted by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the University of Iowa, and Harvard University found that remote work decreases collaboration and training for junior workers. I really doubt the findings are significant, let alone accurate. These large institutions are funded buy the same large corporations that want to drag you back into the office.
Instead of forcing employees back into the office without considering their needs and preferences, employers should take a more intentional approach to training and mentoring their newest hires using the virtual tools available. Simply assuming that time spent in the office automatically confers benefits in terms of career development and collaboration is ridiculous and makes no sense. If employers want cross training and mentoring to happen, they need to create programs to do this intentionally for both in-person and remotely.
The Myth of In-Person Innovation and Mentoring
Many executives argue that innovation and mentoring are best fostered through in-person interactions. However, this assumption is simply not be supported by evidence.
Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics, challenges executives to question whether they have actually measured the impact of in-person work on innovation and mentoring. Has any company really done this analysis? Or do executives simply like seeing butts in seats? I think it’s the latter not the former. I’ve read countless articles on this subject – as it’s one I’m passionate about. I have yet to see _any_ convincing proof that forcing workers in office improves mentoring over remote in any measurable way.
Through my personal mentoring work at Springboard I know definitively that online mentoring is very effective. I mentored more than 100 software engineering students during my time at Springboard with great results. Students learned effectively, we were able to collaborate over code easily, and I could answer questions with no problem – all virtually. And I wasn’t the only one. Springboard has hundreds of mentors helping thousands of students – all online very successfully. So I know online mentoring works because I’ve done it and I see it work.
Moving Beyond the One-Size-Fits-All Approach
The approach of mandating a specific number of days in the office for all employees is foolish and costly. Each team and individual within an organization has unique business needs and personal preferences when it comes to in-person work. Fixating on the number of days employees should be in the office fails to consider the diverse nature of work and the benefits of remote work for employees productivity and personal well being.
Instead of stupid mandates, employers need empower individual teams and leaders to determine their needs for their teams. Corporate in office mandates or hybrid mandates don’t make sense at all when employees just come to the office to be on Slack and Zoom all day working with offsite clients, or staff, for example. All too often this is the story told of employees forced to RTO. They suffer all the negatives of commuting, loud open offices, coworker distractions and office nonsense – only to really work virtually anyway.
The Failure of RTO and Hybrid Work Models
The failure of return to office policies can be attributed to a lack of flexibility and adaptability. Employers need to stick with remote work when remote work is productive. Don’t cause employee upset and turnover by forcing RTO for no actual business reason.
If your business hasn’t CLEAR and PROVEN benefits to in office, or occasional in office work, then a hybrid work model may work for your team. But don’t force employees to be in office just to meet some phony “in office days metric”. Make coming to the office have a real purpose or you will cause discord in your team.
The Future of Work: Adapting to Changing Realities
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transformation of the workplace. It has highlighted the need for employers to adapt to changing realities and prioritize the well-being and productivity of their employees. Return to office policies that fail to consider the preferences and needs of employees are destined to fail. I will cheer such policies that fail because the businesses that implement them don’t care for or consider their employees well being when they implement them.
Conclusion: A New Approach to Work
The failure of return to office policies should serve as a wake-up call for employers. The traditional office model is out of date. We no longer need be tied to location for a LOT of work, and we as a society should take advantage of that. The reduction in needless commuting alone will save costs, time, and climate impacts from all of the countless vehicles NOT on the road driving to an office.