19 compelling reasons for employees to return to the office.

Mandated working from home has had lots of upside – with some definite challenges as well. It has allowed business to continue despite the pandemic and for many companies, created new talent opportunities - and not just for those already employed. Companies are now realising they can hire for expertise, not location, and can have the best employees in the field working on a single projects regardless of where they are.

Working remotely has also had upside for employees. Prior to being part of the public health effort, the flexibility to work from anywhere has been a long-desired perk, often cited by employees in the top things they want from their company. The lack of commute, no interruptions at home, not having to dress in office attire certainly set the scene - in theory - for a better work-life balance.

Now having lived through the reality of working in isolation for long periods – accompanied by a lack of structure in the day, the silence at home, the easy access to the fridge, the awkward Zoom conversations and a distinct lack of balance – there are many convincing reasons to gently encourage employees back to shared spaces.

Here’s a list of the top reasons to entice your team back to the office.

1. The opportunity to commute (yes, opportunity!)

The lack of the commute on the daily was possibly the best thing about working from home – at first. For many, the idea of rolling out of bed a little later and not having to face traffic or travellers was a compelling reason to embrace working from home.

However, many employees soon realised that the commute, while it seemed dull and pointless at the time, played an important role in separating work life and home life. The gentle and sometimes boring stare out the window while making it to the front steps allowed us to mentally close off the work day, ready to relax, exercise, socialise or whatever it was that you did pre-pandemic (remember those days?). Similarly, the morning commute put commuters in the work-mode too.

If your employees are feeling a bit hesitant about the commute, encourage them to see the upside. Not only will they enjoy the mental separation of work and life but it’s an opportunity to listen to a great podcast (for anyone in HR, here are some recommendations), read a great book, dream about travel locations or plan their day.

2. Having a daily routine

Humans are inherently habitual, we like the comfort of a routine, of knowing what to expect. Initial feelings of freedom from the grind employees may have enjoyed when we were first confined to home, soon turned into feeling more lost than free.

With no bookends to the day, no set lunch break and little reason to get up on schedule, many of us slept in, missed workouts and powered through work projects well into the evening. Routine was out and with it went the inherent sense of comfort and security that it provides.

Encourage your team to find their preferred routine by giving them – and yourself - some flexibility around how they want to work. Easing them back into the office with a chosen post-COVID routine will help them adapt without feeling overwhelmed.

3. Connection to community

Showing up at work comes with many psychological benefits and none more so than the sense that we are contributing to something greater than ourselves. Employees inherently want to be connected to their community and the trip to work, the eye contact with another commuter on the train, the walk to the office, the people watching while we wait for our morning latte, all remind us that we are a part of something meaningful.

While that lady next to us waiting for a panini, or the young man waiting to cross the road in the CBD may not work on the same projects, or even in the same building, seeing them is a reminder that society works together as a whole and for the benefit of all.

 
If your employees are struggling to get motivated to come back into the office, encourage them to try it for a few days. See how they feel about being part of this larger societal accomplishment, something that’s easy to lose sight of at home.

4. Getting dressed for work

We’re all familiar with the old business on top, pj’s on the bottom routine. If we haven’t personally done it, we know someone who has (often to the dismay of their other halves!). But for many, getting dressed up – pants and all - to go into the office is something to look forward to. Not only does it allow us to express a different part of our personality, it’s like putting a uniform. You mentally get into ‘work mode’ when you get into your work wardrobe.

Lots of us have a full closet that hasn’t seen the light of day for over 18 months so rediscovering how to dress to impress will be fun and will help redefine ‘work time’ and ‘play time’. Yes, your employees may need to say goodbye to activewear for work assignments but we think that is something to look forward to.

5. Working from purpose-built spaces

Many offices are meticulously designed for collaboration, comfort and getting things done. They are carefully mapped out to be worked in and are on point for purpose. The same can’t be said for most workspaces at home – which often aren’t workspaces at all. The kitchen table wasn’t designed for a full day’s work. The stools at the bench are comfy for a quick meal but not so much after the sixth meeting of the day. Makeshift studies in sleeping zones are also really not ideal, blending work and personal more than many of us are comfortable with.

After all the effort that has gone into making the office so great for working, encourage your team to enjoy the dedicated, designed space. It will help spark their creativity, foster collaboration and lose the tightness they feel from hunching over the kitchen bench for longer than is healthy.

6. Furniture minus the backache

Speaking of being designed for function, furniture plays a huge roll in comfort. Those trendy kitchen chairs look great but sitting on them 8 hours a day for 18 months has confirmed their aesthetic wins hands-down over any ergonomic factor.

Many offices, are not only designed around how we work, but furniture is selected to optimise human form and function. With desks that allow us to sit or stand, chairs that adjust to just the right height and angle, ergonomic backrests, and even options to move around to various locations, there really is a good reason for employees to come back to the office.

7. A new outlook

While the first few weeks were a novelty, working from home has meant the same view for many of us for months on end. Whether that has been a plain white wall in a pseudo-office or the back of the house next door, views from home often don’t measure up to the views from the office. And surroundings make a difference in terms of mood, focus and output.

Many offices offer a scenic view – whether it’s natural or urban – that is different from the view employees see anywhere else so entice them to enjoy being in a different space for a few days a week, to change up their location and enjoy the benefits.

8. The return of daily banter

Technology has undoubtedly allowed us to stay connected while being physically distanced but there is nothing like being in person to really connect. And it’s not always the deep and meaningful that makes for impactful moments.

One of the things that many employees noticed missing from their day though lockdowns was office banter. And while it seems like a small thing, it’s absence was certainly felt.

Where we would usually enter a meeting room and chat with those around the table casually until the meeting starts, when at home we instead jump online and get stuck into it. Online meetings, although made up of a screen full of people, can feel very impersonal. And while it’s easy to write this casual chatter off as time wasting in an office environment, it actually helps to build a sense of trust and connection for your team.

So, if you have team members who can’t see the other upsides of being back in the office, encourage them to come in for the social benefits and everyone will win.

9. The socialising aspect

Workplaces are social spaces, even for the least social beings amongst us. We spend a third of our time at work, for many, their work wives are their real-life besties and strong friendships are formed over work challenges that end up at the local on Friday afternoon (de-briefing with wine is effective right?). Even for those who do not have strong social bonds in the office, the banter and benefits are still strong.

Research tells us that those with solid social relationship at work benefit from greater long-term happiness. If ever there was a reason to get back into the office, that’s it right there!

10. Going out to pick up lunch

While some of us have enjoyed learning to cook new things in lockdown (sourdough anyone?), home cooked food is losing it’s shine. We have missed the option to choose from the gourmet sandwich bar, the lunch run each day to a local café and the banter along the way.

While we can make many things in the home kitchen on a WFM lunch break, often we just aren’t motivated or feel short on time, so many people end up eating the same dull thing every day. Now with restaurants and cafés open again, your team can all enjoy rediscovering the local food scene.

11. Benefits of professional mentorship

On top of social relationships formed at work, mentorship is something that has been hard to maintain from home. Mentors often guide us to think differently, engage with new teams and challenge ourselves as well as exposing us to leaders who can influence our growth and development. When we are not working side by side, not only do some of these mentor sessions slip in the calendar due to competing priorities, but there are limited opportunities to pick up projects with different teams. This slows down progress and the ability to develop career relationships.

The thing about mentoring is that both parties usually learn from each other so it’s good for business to have a strong development program. So while individuals have undoubtedly missed opportunities through lockdowns, so has the company.

Encourage your leaders to continue with these programs, face-to-face, and adapt the learnings of lockdown across all departments. One-on-one time with a respected executive is a great reason for your employees to come back in for the day.

12. Return of the Friday night drinks

And we are not talking about a few beers on Zoom with a side of uncomfortable, slightly forced chat that everyone is expected to participate in.

Friday night drinks are a great way to wind down and let go of any team tension. When everyone is together in the office, the bar is around the corner and people can come and go as they please, it’s an easy and fun way to close out the week. No expectation and no side-eyes if you leave early (hopefully!). Not only that, out-of-office socialising in a setting like this is good for team morale.

If your team are not all in the office, organising anything social is a challenge. Some will attend, some won’t, and you will end up feeling like you put in a lot of effort for little payoff.

Getting employees back to the office means you can get back to enjoying a Friday wind-down and all benefit from improved team spirit.

13. The weekend de-brief

While many of us love leaving the office on a Friday, returning on Monday for the weekend de-brief is just exciting. Whether it’s listening to office friends talk about the events they went to (yes, events!) or chatting about the latest show they watched, the social Monday hang makes a real difference to your employee’s day.

Similarly, the Monday morning meeting that sets up priorities for the week focusses your team on what you need them to do. It closes off tasks from last week, gives your team fresh insight and new motivation to go at it again this week.

So, weather it’s for the social or work talk, show your employees why they want to be in the office on a Monday – and not just on another one dimensional Zoom meeting.

 14. The noise factor

Depending on home situations, work is either a place of welcome tranquillity or a buzz of background noise that has been sorely missed! For those living with others, particularly families, they may be feeling like they have not had a pocket of quiet since 2019 – because they haven’t. For those living solo or with a frontline worker who is out of the office, the silence may have been too deafening for too long.

Whichever camp your people are in, everyone will benefit from the mellow buzz of the office, the distinct lack of distractions and the general sounds of the office. You may even more people in the office put down their headphones just to bask in the atmosphere of work.

15. Meeting – in person (yesss!)

Online meetings have allowed us to all function through the pandemic but there is nothing quite like being in a room, face-to-face, talking over the hot topics.

With the lack of connection brought about by being at home, many people found them on solid Zoom calls from AM to PM. Not only was this not productive (see just how unproductive it was), it left most people with extreme fatigue.

One of the great benefits of being back in the office is hitting accept on that meeting invite, knowing you will get to actually walk into a meeting room to talk with real people.

16. Non-verbal queues

With about 70% of communication being non-verbal, is it any surprise that Zoom meetings sometimes feel so uncomfortable? With one dimensional interaction, it’s all too easy to misinterpret or outright misunderstand what is being said – and that can be both interpreting things as more positive than they are or more less positive than they are.

Behavioural psychologists cite technology as being a great enabler of communication but note that it is not ideal as the primary modal for messages.

Bringing your team back will lead to clearer communication and fewer misunderstandings, and that is something we all look forward to chatting about in a meeting.

17. Better access to mental health resources

Many forward-thinking workplaces view mental health like any other physical ailment – as we all should – and offer incredible support for anyone who needs it. From online resources to one-on-one sessions with dedicated mental health professionals, companies know the upside of thriving employees.

The challenge with being out of the workplace, is employees are less likely to take up this support. They simply may not be comfortable with Zoom sessions with workplace psychologists unless they already have a relationship. And while online resources are great in some settings, when your whole life is online, they can feel like just another burden. When you are already suffering, it’s really connection and care that you need and that cannot always be imparted through a screen.

When your employees are back in the office, even part time, they will likely to feel more supported and be more willing to seek out the support they need. They will feel better about accepting the help you offer and that’s a win for everyone.

18. Less sick days

Looking at the data from the past few years, fewer employees took sick days through periods of lockdown all around the globe. And that could be a great thing but there is also a downside.

The good thing is it’s likely your team just weren’t sick as often as they weren’t out and about where they could catch common bugs like colds and flu’s. The other side is that when we are actually sick, most of us will take a day off as we don’t want to infect others. Calling in sick allows us to put our feet up, have some soup and give our bodies time to recover.

It appears that many employees working from home opted to power through rather than calling it in. With no risk of infecting others, they worked despite their illnesses rather than resting and recovering.

While sick days aren’t an office benefit, there is certainly a benefit if taking the time we need to get better, rather than feeling like we should just get on with it when we’re under the weather.

19. The joy of the collective

Possibly the most compelling reason to return to the office is the joy of the collective. Working at home on our own, even in collaborative digital environments, is just not the same as the energy we feel when we physically work together.

Teamwork is all about setting out unified goals, working through the highs and lows of projects together, coming up with creative solutions hand-in-hand, listening to and considering points-of-view, hitting shared deadlines and celebrating wins – together.

There is nothing quite like the shared joy, the collective effervescence, of working together to deliver on a goal.

And if that is not enough to entice your team back to the office, maybe you should consider some extra recognition 😉

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