4 Tips to Encouraging People Back to the Office
We have all been loving the freedom that comes with remote working and it’s getting to be the new normal.
Candidates looking for work are now requesting hybrid working options or remote working options as an industry standard, and employers that are not delivering on this standard are struggling to find the best talent.
Company culture is a wonderful draw for people, but it’s not something employers seem to be thinking about. They’re thinking about getting people back to the office after so long working from home – and it’s proving to be a fight!
Most people want to keep working from their sofa and are not looking to commute back to the office again.
People have gained back time so even if there is better lift hygiene and the office has been polished to perfection, it’s not always enough. You as an employer have to do way more than you were doing before.
With this in mind, we’ve got some options that will help you to encourage people back into the office space again. Let’s take a look!
1. Remind people about the social side of the office
We can use online live chat options and we can chat with coworkers via Teams, but there’s no office camaraderie when you are working from home.
There’s no ‘water cooler’ chat and there are no ‘after-work drinks’ that used to be the Friday norm. This is hitting most industries hard because Friday after work used to be the one evening of the week when people would get together and socialize and it’s no longer happening.
2. Building connections
Being remote is so good for keeping those connections strong with family but there is a world outside of your family.
Vibrant workplace cultures will be effortless in their collaboration and while you can collaborate while working from home, it’s not quite the same.
Make building connections more fun for people and they may be tempted to come back to the office and work with you.
3. Sweeten the deal
You don’t have to have a huge budget for salary increases to sweeten working back in the office. If you sweeten the deal by offering on-site childcare or encouraging people to wear what they want to the office, you’re going to find it much easier to get people back through the door.
You could also offer free travel. A commute is that much sweeter when they don’t have to pay to get to work!
4. Consider a four-day work week.
It’s taking off around the world and across all industries but the four-day workweek will increase your employee’s productivity while offering them the chance to work fewer days.
You’ll see a reduction in employee absenteeism, and you’ll notice that people are happier. People need a three-day weekend: a day to decompress, a day for life admin, and a day to enjoy themselves.
This leads to more rested and happier employees and these are also more loyal staff members! It’s a great way to get people in!
