Carrot or the stick? 3 ways to win employees back to the office

Given the popularity of flexible work, persuading employees to return can be a challenge. Employers that involve their employees in the decision to come back to the office will be better placed.

Unsurprisingly, return-to-office mandates appear to be exceedingly unpopular among employees. Despite this, 90 per cent of Australian employers have implemented mandatory in-office days, said Robert Half.

That said, only 19 per cent of those employers are insisting on five in-office days per week, while 28 per cent are demanding four days, and another 26 per cent demand three days. Almost a third of these employers report at least one employee quitting over the mandate.

While some employers are comfortable with the stick, others are trying to find a carrot to win employees back into the office. This was the subject of a recent presentation by Gartner’s director of advisory in HR, Neal Woolrich, who said mistakes abound in both kinds of approaches.

“Return-to-office mandates can feel like an about-face in employee flexibility, autonomy, and wellbeing when it lacks meaning and reason, which is starkly at odds with the more human-centric corporate purpose many organisations have shifted towards,” said Mr Woolrich.

On the other hand, attempts to woo employees back into the office have frequently failed for altogether different reasons: “Organisations have attempted to entice people back into the office with free meals, office perks or flexible working hours, but these gestures haven’t been enough.

“Instead, employers must take the best parts of the office experience and evolve the space from a place anchored to work to one centred on people and how they feel when they come into an office,” Mr Woolrich said.

According to Mr Woolrich, there are three things to keep in mind when getting employees back into the office.

1. Align purpose to place

The bar is high, said Mr Woolrich, when it comes to establishing sound justification for demanding workers return to office. This is because the benefits of remote work are clear. Research shows that remote workers are often more productive and happier in their roles. This is not to mention the cost-cutting benefits for individuals (saving on, for example, commutes and incidental expenses) or the many lifestyle advantages.

Any employer who wants to persuade their employees to come back into the office will have to balance their case against these many benefits. “We keep hearing that most employees feel more productive working from home, so it’s baffling the lack of rational reasoning given by so many organisations in mandating employees return to the office,” said Mr Woolrich.

To meet this standard, said Gartner, employers must make clear why being in the office will aid or necessarily supplement remote work: “This means aligning the purpose of the day’s work to the right place, giving employees a clear understanding of how tasks undertaken in the office complement those that can be done remotely.”

2. Motivate with transparency, not mandates

“Rather than mandating office returns, organisations need to motivate them with open and honest communication to encourage office attendance; otherwise, the trust deficit between employees and management will only erode further,” said Mr Woolrich.

Though flexibility clearly has its benefits, so too does working in the office. From ease of communication to team building and career advancement, there is a case to be made for in-office work, so long as it is framed correctly.

“Leaders need to respect their employees enough to share the real drivers behind the policies. It’s important to provide a clear and valid rationale to help employees make sense of the change, so they can understand what, how and why decisions are being made,” explained Mr Woolrich.

Bringing employees into the fold can help add context to a return-to-work initiative and help make employees feel their opinions have been considered. As noted by Nicole Gorton, director at Robert Half, top-down mandates can make employees feel as though they have been “stripped of choice”. By sharing their reasoning, employers can enfranchise employees and demonstrate that their interests will be better served under a different approach to work.

3. Make inclusion foundational

Building a more inclusive workplace can strengthen return-to-work case. As mentioned, in-person work can lend itself more naturally to an inclusive, social environment. Really investing in this feature can demonstrate the mutual benefits to be gained from being in the office.

“Breaking away from the prevailing mindset of office uniformity and conformity is key,” said Mr Woolrich.

“Organisations must offer an employee-centred workspace where workers feel as comfortable and connected in the office as they do at home. This requires understanding and empathising with employees’ unique situations and asking what’s working, what’s not, and what can be done differently.”

Interestingly, as noted by Gartner, remote workers record a higher level of inclusion than their in-office counterparts. This says less about the nature of remote work and more about the need for employers to do more when it comes to building an employer-centric workspace.

“This will result in huge benefits for talent and the business in terms of higher engagement, performance and intent to stay,” said Gartner.