三和一善 | Who should (and should not) go back to the office

The first few weeks of the summer of 2021 feel like a different period. All Americans over the age of 12 can use the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccination rate is on the rise, and the hospitalization rate is on the decline. It has been more than a year since the lockdown order restricted life to our homes, and many of us have begun to reappear. In a few weeks full of hope, it feels like the pandemic is finally coming to an end. As a result, many companies announced plans to return employees to the office. But then the delta variant got stuck in these plans.

Going back to the office becomes more complicated. Some companies have suspended or slowed down their reopening plans, but many companies are moving forward with full or mixed returns. In this season’s New Way We Work podcast, we delved into the lingering impact of returning to the office and the past 18 months on work and life.

The pandemic has forced many companies into the future of work. Remote and mixed workplaces are inevitable, but instead of getting there slowly and consciously in 10 or 15 years, they are forced into it during a global crisis.

But we are no longer in classification mode. As millions of people explore the next phase of work, it’s time to be more thoughtful and conscious than in March 2020.

For the first episode of the new season, I spoke with Gwen Moran, a longtime contributor to Company. For decades, Moran has been writing articles about the future of work, remote work, returning to the office, and everything about working life. (You can read all of her latest Company articles here.) Here are some things she has to say:

Communicate clearly before calling people back to the office

Not only is the pandemic far from over, but we are also in the midst of a big resignation. Moran suggests that in order to retain the talent you have, “you really need to involve employees in the decision-making process and stay in touch with their ideas and their comfort.”

She pointed out that throughout the pandemic, many employers have moved target positions many times, requiring them to return to the office in the summer of last year, early 2021, and late this summer. "Every time you move the goal post, you will blow up people's lives. Because they have children, they may have the responsibility to take care of their elders. They have fallen into an uninterrupted cycle in the past year and a half."

When returning to the office, one size can’t meet everyone’s needs

Companies that set a tough line and require all employees to return to the office may encounter a lot of resistance. As numerous surveys have shown, many people want to keep working remotely at least at some point. Moran suggests that leaders should ask themselves some questions before deciding who should return to the office: "Are people still as productive as you expect? Are they performing as well as they were in the office? Are you providing them with the right support?"

There may also be self-evident personal reasons why people don’t want to go back to the office. For example, people with anxiety or sleep disorders can adjust their schedules to better work from home. "This is indeed a very simple type of accommodation, but it allows people to do their best," Moran said.

For more considerations about returning to the office, including how to address career development and the most successful way to build a hybrid workplace, please listen to the full clip here.

Note: This episode was recorded before President Biden announced plans to sign an executive order, which is said to basically require all government employees and employees of many private companies to be vaccinated against COVID-19.