In the wake of COVID and ongoing discussions about Hybrid work many businesses want to get there people back to the office if they are not already there.

As businesses contemplate the future of work, for many there is an ongoing disconnect about how much time people spend in the office. Simply many employers want people back in the office more than their employees want to be back. Many different strategies are being tried – some successful and some not.

Before we explore what Next Workplace recommend what you should do we thought it might be valuable to explore some of the mistakes people are making…

Following are the top 5 steps you can take to get it wrong:

1. Mandate Madness Bodies present…… but brains somewhere else

Everyone’s favourite billionaire, Elon Musk got people back to the office. But he also showed a rare talent for pissing off staff !

His was the most extreme example of a mandate being imposed without sensitivity. Many other organisations are mandating 5 days a week in the office – but perhaps expressing it more carefully.

If your success measure is just seeing people sitting in the office job done!

But if your success measures include productivity and collaboration there might be more work to do. Often mandates don’t explain why employees should come back – or give reasons that don’t really align with peoples personal situations. The NSW Government said that returning to work in the office was “good for the economy” leading to the obvious response from the individual “but what’s in it for me???

Giving employees insufficient notice or preparation time for the transition back to office work also creates unnecessary stress and logistical challenges. This hasty approach fails to account for the complex personal arrangements many have made during the remote work period.

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2. Surveillance

After forcing people back to the office with a mandate the next step in How To Get It Wrong with people’s return to the office is to implement sophisticated methods of surveillance.

Installing monitoring software or enforcing excessive check-ins creates a culture of distrust and micromanagement. This Big Brother approach not only erodes employee morale but also stifles creativity and autonomy – the very qualities that drive innovation and problem-solving in modern businesses.

Gathering data on people’s behaviours can be a very useful tool in curating their workplace experience to make it better though – and that is something we will explore in our next newsletter!

3. Work-Life Imbalances

Many people have found a new balance that works for them and are grateful for the new patterns of work they have been able to establish that work for them and their families with some of their work being done remotely – so the next step in How To Get It Wrong is just to ignore that. Expecting the same level of productivity and availability without accounting for commute times and personal responsibilities is not only unrealistic but can also be detrimental to employee well-being and long-term productivity.

Another short-sighted move is the abrupt cutting of remote work benefits. Eliminating allowances or perks that supported working from home without offering equivalent in-office benefits creates a sense of loss among employees. This approach fails to acknowledge the investments many workers have made in their home setups and the efficiencies they've gained in remote work environments.

4. Rules Rules Rules

You can create very adversarial relationship with employees with an overemphasis on policy enforcement rather than highlighting the benefits of in-office work. When the focus is primarily on rules and consequences for non-compliance, it can overshadow any potential positive aspects of returning to a shared workspace.

There have to be agreed protocols around work for individuals and teams but there are better ways to approach this than a consultation free dictate to people.

5. Feedback? What Feedback?

Lastly in How To Get It Wrong - don’t seek any feedback from employees through surveys and interactions. If they still find a way to give you feedback – just ignore it and refer them back to the rules and guidelines.

When organizations fail to consider or address the concerns raised by their workforce about returning to the office, they send a clear message that employee well-being is not a priority. This disconnect between management and staff can lead to a rapid decline in morale and engagement, ultimately affecting the company's bottom line. People seek workplaces where they feel valued and listened to…

And next – how to get it right

In next month’s newsletter we will set out how to achieve your objectives of getting people back to the office more.

The future of work is not about returning to the past; it's about embracing new possibilities and creating environments where employees can thrive, wherever they may be working from.

How NOT to get people back to the office