The dilemma of asking staff to return to the office

Organisations across the globe are slowly getting back to offices after a long hiatus of working from home. However, management at all levels is now facing the conundrum of requesting staff to return to the office especially when employees are able to deliver work with no hindrances to efficiency. What is the real need of coming into work when the option of working in your pyjamas, reducing fares on your Oyster card and prepping lunch seem not only possible but also a lot more convenient?

Besides the employee preferences, opening up offices now come with a lot of rules and guidelines which make the decision quite cumbersome. As a manager you will need to ensure no more than 25%-30% occupancy at all times, have treatment protocols in place and go through contact tracing procedures should anyone contract the virus.  While there is the hope of a vaccine, there still is quite a way to go for a final product and these measures will need to be enforced until then with no cutbacks. It has not been easy but the outbreak has encouraged organisations to develop sustainable systems where employees are still able to perform and hand in work despite the absence of daily interactions. Zoom conference calls and e-mail reminders seem to work just fine in managing teams and projects. This could also be attributed to the uncertainty all around which has translated into more diligent employees to reiterate their relevance in the workplace. Therefore, this begs the question - should employees resume work in offices? Does it matter that your entire workforce may be working out of boxer shorts and taking more than the usual number of power naps during a workday?

Working from an office has perks like free coffee, ergonomic work stations, a healthy work-life balance for those who can manage it, office gatherings, birthdays and social interactions and meetings that keep you on your toes and looking professional. However, office in the time of COVID-19 does not paint a very stress free and productive corporate environment. It will involve waiting in lines for a temperature check before entering the office buildings after a journey on the metro, coach or minibus which are high-risk points. All this to enter an office environment with the possibility of regular temperature checks, team members paranoid about getting too close to anyone, staying masked for the whole day and the odd few relentlessly sanitising every object around them.

There are sectors that offer essential services where employees need to come in. Employers need to step back and assess the real need behind asking employees to return if not for being a stickler for the conventional. Twitter has already declared that it is allowing its employees to work from home ‘forever’ and Unilever has opted for a hybrid model where groups of people would alternate in the office for some days of the week and spend the remaining working from home. HSBC has stated that they have no “plans to announce an imminent return to the office.” Evidently, brands are working on implementing models that best suit the overall needs to continue their operations until there is a definitive solution to avoid contraction; ergo a promising vaccine. It is a new normal that we are all adapting to and it is time you establish what the new normal will be for the footprint of your work culture based on efficacy and well being.