How managers can ‘earn the commute’

The good news for bosses is that more than nine in 10 (96 per cent) of office workers surveyed said they could be successfully lured back into the office – with the right enticements.

So, what do employers need to do to get them back – and crucially, how can they “earn the commute”?

According to the survey, over 40 per cent said greater flexibility would bring them back, 35 per cent expected better facilities, one in four wanted better tech, conducive to hybrid working, and more than one in five (22 per cent) said that an office re-design or update would do the trick.

“Employees now have options and there’s a shortage of good employees,” says Allan Ryan, founder and executive director of innovation consultants, Hargraves Institute.

“So employees, if you don’t meet their expectations, will leave. And the good employees will leave first.”

He says there are three pillars to luring people back to the office.

“You have to get your workplace fixed, that’s number one. You have to get your technology that helps enable them number two - and you have to get your culture right, number three.”

“You’ve got to get it right. And you’ve got to meet their expectations like never before.”

Bryan Paton, Winc Workplace Expert says the research shows that mandates “will not work”.

“It all comes down to CEOs and business leaders finding a way to get people back to the office,” says Paton.

“You’ve got companies who are using mandates to force people back, and generally you will find that people will push back on those mandates.

“With those numbers from our research in mind, we’re going see to a lot of pushback. There was a lot of change within those few years post-pandemic and trying to get people back into the office is obviously a very difficult question to ask and to answer as well.”

So what will work?

“A lot of employees say they want better tech, tech that is conducive to the type of work they do because a lot of people these days are using a hybrid working model - they work from home and the office, and they want the technology to suit those requirements,” says Paton.

“People want to come back into a workplace that is appealing – across the aesthetic and facilities. Our research found that one in five employees wanted to see an office redesign or an update.”

“Creating that workplace is about asking the right questions, and listening to the answers about what culture managers are trying to create for their employees.”

Adam Colman senior vice president and managing director at office supplies multinational ACCO Brands, says employers need to be flexible, adaptable and willing to listen to their people.

Colman, who recently began an upgrade of his HQ, says COVID was just one of the shocks that businesses had to cope with, alongside technological advancements and mental health challenges.

He called on CEOs to make the office more inviting for their staff to earn the commute.

“Like a lot of other businesses people weren’t in the office that much, so we’re trying to make it more appealing to come here and beginning an upgrade of the internal area and activities like town hall meetings and weekly luncheons,” says Colman.

“This is a really significant issue for business today.”

“The one thing we don’t want to see is people forced back into offices, because that will just change the dynamic within the organisation and your culture will suffer and people will leave.

“As a business leader, you have to listen to what the team wants and hopefully you can provide that environment that makes them happy, efficient, productive, and wanting to contribute to the company culture as opposed to remove themselves from it.”

To learn more, visit www.winc.com.au.