There are many reasons why employees would choose to opt out of the office in 2024 after the last few years. The flexibility that the pandemic created via Work from Home schedules has made it a tough ask to have employees return to the office on a fulltime basis. However, if your business relies on in-person coordination and collaboration, creating the right solutions to encourage in-office attendance is a priority.
Many employers are already seeing the fallout of strategies to get employees back in the office, such as demanding that employees return or quit, pushing people back to work in conventional office spaces, and even lowering salaries for employees who opt for remote work. These approaches significantly hurt employee morale and company culture. They're also not very effective. Instead, build your playbook with positive incentives and options that align with why employees don't want to return to the office in the first place.
1. Set Flexible Schedules for In-Office Work Sessions
"Going back to the office" doesn't just mean going back to a specific location. It means going back to a specific 8-5 or 9-5 schedule. But after years of the pandemic and remote work, your employees' lives can't accommodate that. New routines have been built around getting kids to school in the mornings, working out in the early afternoons, and managing errands while places are still open. They've also been built around not sitting in morning and evening commutes.
Those norms of old work styles are now challenging. If you don't have to have an 8-5 work schedule, then don't. Instead, work with your teams to build more dynamic schedules based on availability. For example, some employees may be happy to come in during the afternoon, and others prefer the mornings. If you can get consistent in-office attendance, your team has plenty of opportunities for routine face-to-face interaction.
2. Choose More Localized Options
Another problem with offices is that the locations are often far away and all concentrated together, maximizing morning and afternoon traffic. Whenever possible, look for office options that are closer to where your team members live. Coworking office subscriptions facilitate this by having a network of different locations within major cities and metroplexes. You can coordinate in-person groups based on their locations, so they have convenient options or allow employees to pick any in-network location for professional client meetings.
3. Switch to Coworking Spaces That Offer a Variety of Working Environments
Another trend that has emerged through remote work is strong evidence that people work best in different environments. Some people prefer solitude, and other people need frequent, small breaks. The same people may even prefer different work conditions based on the project at hand. Subscribe to a coworking space that offers a wide variety of quiet spaces, private offices, and enclosed work areas so your teams can choose what works for them.
4. Choose Hospitality-Driven Work Locations
Make going back to the office more pleasant with hospitality-drive coworking space options. People working at home may have their kitchen (and coffee machine) right around the corner. Give in-office personnel the same thing with coffee stations, easy-to-reach snack centers, and other forms of hospitality. This eliminates a lot of the dread and drag around returning to the office.
5. Prioritize Employee Wellness
There's one obstacle you can't (and shouldn't) defeat: employees' concerns about going to the office when they're sick. Working from work when you're ill—whether it's COVID-19 or not—is more restful for sick employees and better for employees who don't want to get sick. Instead of trying to eliminate work-from-home options entirely, tackle this from another angle. Offer workplace wellness programs that facilitate more health, less stress, and work-life balance that can reduce illness in the first place. Good-faith wellness initiatives make employees want to participate and stay working in your organization, and it offers benefits for everyone.
Make the Conditions Right for Employees to Opt-In to In-Office Attendance
Forcing hybrid employees to the office needs an effective strategy, especially if all you're doing is mandating a return to the cubicle. Instead, offer better workplaces, better workplace conditions, and more control over their in-office work hours.
Quest Workspaces is here to help you put it all together with hospitality-driven workspaces throughout Miami, Tampa, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Broward, and New York City.
Reach out today to learn more, or visit us in person at a coworking space nearby.
