As prophesied in the months that just passed, return-to-office policies are claiming more companies slowly and it seems employees are just as reluctant to return as predictions said they would be. Back in September, Resume Builder had estimated that around 90 percent of companies would be back in the office by the end of 2024, and 30 percent of these companies had reportedly taken a firm stance on these RTO policies, willing to fire employees who did not concede defeat. Now, the return-to-office strategy appears to be taking renewed vigor in the era of layoffs where companies are already downsizing their workforce. While initially, there was a worry that the lasting effects of the Great Resignation era would make employers afraid to lose their workforce, it seems that many companies are now optimizing the opportunity to tighten their policies and hoping to let a few workers go if they do not willingly comply with the new regulations.
CNBC reported that companies might just be “daring” employees to quit, using their return-to-office policies and mandates as a way to challenge those who stood firmly against in-person work. Citing experts who took the example of AT&T’s RTO policies as “covert layoff tactics,” the page stated that we could see an increase in such unpleasant strategies. Forcing workers out of the company on their own is not a new policy by any means but it does make work more unappealing for the majority of the workforce. If companies resort to such strategies right now, they could see their workforce entirely dissatisfied with the work culture, losing the trust of the section of the workforce they aim to retain as well.
Image – Freepik
What Is an RTO Policy and Why Do Companies Want It?
If you’re wondering what RTO is in the work schedule, it refers to the mandates companies might introduce to shift workers from a work-from-home (WFH) position to an in-person role that will require them to show up at work. Some companies might have return-to-office policies (RTO policies) that require them to come in for their 9-to-5 roles every day, while other policies offer hybrid strategies where employees are required to return to work in the office only a few days in their workweek. These mandates are often non-negotiable and apply to a whole section of employees in one go rather than on an individual basis.
While these strategies of opening the door for employees to show them the way out are relevant more for companies that need to thin out their workforce and cut their losses, it isn’t the only reason for companies demanding that workers return to the office. For financial reasons, RTO policies are also favored by companies that are already paying for an office space they have to keep open anyway for essential staff at all times. To make it worth their money, it makes more sense to have everyone return so they no longer have to invest energy in employee engagement for work-from-home employees in addition to those in the office. For them, it does make logical sense to have everyone in one palace rather than support their work-from-home setups.
More importantly though, while many employees themselves feel happier and more well-adjusted working at home, employers have long felt that there is a decline in productivity and an inherent impact on the work that is done for them. Work-from-home policies emerged as a result of necessity rather than active choice and many business owners never actually appreciated the shift in the first place. While employees applauded the convenience and peace of working in their own space rather than dressing up to spend their day in a setting where their work was constantly interrupted by one thing or another, employers have felt the strain of not being able to supervise their employees and ensure that work was proceeding according to plan.
Pursuing a Return-to-Office: Advantages
The managers who have been worried about their workforce may have been correct to a degree—many employees did start to face a disconnect from their work considering they weren’t as immersed in it as they would be while traveling to work. In 2023, Gallup reported that 16 percent of employees were actively disengaged while 50 percent of them were “quiet quitting.” While this may not have been entirely due to the WFH setup, it is obviously frustrating for employers to lose out on more direct access to their employees to keep an eye out for signs of such inclinations. There are quite a few advantages to working from the office that make it preferable for employees as well.
- Separation of work life and personal life rather than the home space turning stressful as well
- Better avenues of communication with coworkers on key tasks
- Quicker resolution of communication issues and misunderstandings that crop up
- Improved relationships with coworkers and a new circle of close confidants who understand similar work struggles
- Improved understanding of the work culture and more opportunities to engage with it
- Ease of collaboration with multiple players on larger projects rather than doing many separate video calls
- More opportunities to find clearly difficult tasks and learn from more experienced coworkers
- Learning avenues widen and there are more opportunities to interact with key players who can help set the career trajectory
- Better focus on work and elimination of personal distractions from the home space—a structured work environment can provide structure to get tasks done as well
There are likely many other benefits that both employers and employees can see as a result of working in person at the office. As a result, these policies are not the demonic ideations that some of us perceive them to be, and there are many return-to–office advantages that may benefit everyone if these mandates are employed correctly.
How to Create a Good Return to Office Strategy?
If your internal calculations and numbers show that a return-to-office strategy is a way forward for your business, then it can be difficult to keep delaying the inevitable. Considering that it might be time to generate your own set of return-to-office policies for your employees, the way you go about it needs to be prioritized rather than enforcing an immediate blanket return for all. Bigger corporations might be able to get away with such hard-line policies because it is easier for them to rehire and fill in any big gaps at their company but that isn’t the ideal way forward. Having the employees on your side is always a better strategy and that applies to your RTO policies as well.
Consider Goals and Alternatives
Before rushing the implementation of your return-to-office policies, consider why you’re making the move. If it’s because large corporations are shifting to in-person work, then understand that these changes might affect every company differently. If you want to set a return-to-office strategy into motion because you want better control over your workforce, then understand that you might still have the same fears even when they are back in the building—Forcing employees to return might not be the answer to your worries. You might have to set different metrics to measure employee performance and gauge employee productivity which gives you an accurate understanding of your company’s performance. Consider alternate avenues of action before investing in the more extreme option of return-to-office policies.
Explore why you feel your organization in particular must switch away from remote work and have clear goals in mind for what you want to achieve by bringing employees back. This will also help you settle on your exact plan of action and what aspects of the policy will be non-negotiable for you.
Understand the Composition of Your Workforce
Before making any major decision about shuffling your workforce, you might do well to understand your employees first. What is your RTO policy and who will it affect? Select departments or all your employees at once? After you set goals for your RTO policies, also check in specifically to see which section of your workforce it pertains to rather than shaking up your entire company in one go. Also, understand your workers and your equation with them.
If your company hired extensively these last two years, you might have recruited workers from different regions who never had to figure out living in your specific city. Coming to the office would mean a much bigger shift for them than the other employees. Consider the majority employee demographic of your organization as well. Certain employees might be more reluctant to return to work than other employees and you might have to consider making some accommodations in order to retain their services.
Communicate the Intention Behind the RTO Policies
Your employees might have different priorities compared to you as an organization, but they are all adults who are capable of listening to reason. Try to be clear in your communication with them on the advantages of a return to the office space, why you believe the policy will benefit the organization, and why their cooperation is necessary. It might not be enough to make them happy about starting work in person, but they will at least be able to see all the cards you have on the table and make an informed choice on how they want to proceed.
Try a Gradual Approach with Your Return to Office Strategy—Embrace Flexibility
You might be able to make an immediate return-to-work demand and have the bulk of your workforce comply but it might also be too overwhelming for the company resource as unplanned roadblocks come up all at once. Try to develop a more staggered approach and give employees some time to comply with the RTO policies. Carefully monitor the situation as employees start to return to the organization and understand any issues they might be facing. Feed the information back to your strategy and eliminate the challenges to make the process a smooth one.
Consider making some accommodations and adjustments to your strategy, such as adopting a hybrid model instead of a full-time return. Some employees might be more willing to make the transition if you’re more flexible and open to suggestions. It is important to understand that going to the office might feel like relearning a whole new set of skills and facing issues that employees are no longer accustomed to dealing with. Be patient with the returning employee as there might be a slight learning curve before they get into the groove again so it is better to remain flexible.
Make the Workplace More Appealing—Address The Resistance
As an added welcome sign, try to make the workspace a more approachable space for employees. While major renovations and a fancy might attract your employees more quickly, it may not be within your immediate budget and that’s alright. Instead, try to ensure the workspace is clean and well organized, there is enough space for all the returning employees, and they have access to all the physical resources they may need, comfortable seating, etc.
You could also work with employees themselves to understand their specific resistance to the return-to-office policies and try to address a few of the considerations at the organization. Additional considerations like a nursing room or childcare facilities might be very beneficial to an organization that’s trying to make the company an ideal place to work—one that provides employees with a solution rather than exacerbating the problem.
If you’re trying to figure out whether RTO policies fit into your company’s work schedule, consider all the whats and the whys before you make the big move. Your employees, already comfortable with their current setup, will undeniably be reluctant to try out a different format from what they’ve already gotten used to, so try to help them see why it might be beneficial for them and clearly highlight what you’re willing to do to support them through the change.