How to encourage a return to the office?

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118118204#Comment_118118204

But yet we have a record of the conversation that can be quoted and clarified.

If it was an in person meeting, it may not be realized till after the meeting that people took things up differently.

Pros and Cons.

VonLuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118118960#Comment_118118960

You claimed I said that everyone working from home was in complete isolation. I said " I'm not sure how many people can work effectively in complete isolation"

You claimed that I said only face to face will do. I never once said that. Partial face to face, yes.

You seem to want to try and aggravate things by purposefully misinterpreting my words. To be honest I've spent too much of my time responding to your comments which are clearly not trying to be helpful. I won't be engaging with you again.

Rket4000

"I don't see your proposal as a good workaround. You could be working on one task for the day and you hit a bump in the road. You're suggesting you wait around until your scheduled meeting comes up? How is that productive?"

I would have thought that "group chat" functions help with this. You can set multiple chats for different teams or projects and if you have a query or hit a problem you stick it in the chat and surely someone will have a minute or two to respond. That's what works for my workplace

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118115506#Comment_118115506

Sounds like a normal weekend there.

storker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118119302#Comment_118119302

Excellent.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118119022#Comment_118119022

Can be - but quite possibly won't be. Some people will assume it was a typo (or even miss that it say "not" instead of "now") and behave accordingly. Others will do the opposite. They will likely get back to work after reading the message, and not necessarily even discuss it. Whereas in a F2F meeting, there would be immediate or immediately-after discussion and the different understandings would emerge and be clarified.

OP, I've been thinking about this whole thread. Part of the issue is that there a a group of WFH evangelists who don't value anyone else's perspective, team work, or organisational culture. Since Covid-caused WFH started, anyone who has dared to disagree, or even suggest that things aren't quite so black and white, has been immediately shot down as as a micro-managing change-retardant. These folks generally don't like their colleagues, or their managers or even their companies. I get the feeling that most work in high-demand specialist fields where they don't regularly deal with the messiness of the human condition, and where companies put up with their behaviours in order to access their skills.

Others of us make a habit of seeing more broadly, and thinking about people who aren't like us.

Or we work in very different fields. For example, I sometimes provide services to people in a highly-legislated semi-social services field (being deliberately vague). They take a lot of verbal abuse from clients. Home used to be a place of respite from work nastiness. Colleagues used to be there to sympathise after bad calls, and to brainstorm tricky issues. Now home is where they get the verbals. The calls stop when a persons' shift ends, sure, but they still have the same visual cues around to remind them of what was said. There's no one to see when they are in tears because someone has got to them. Brainstorming has to be scheduled or typed in a chat-window (these professionals aren't tech-inclined). In this company, WFH sucks - despite it looking like an almost perfect fit because almost-everything can be done on-line. The irony is, I'm on-site 4/5 days/week, because I need the equipment there. And I don't take hard calls!

Encouraging people back to the office will vary hugely, depending on what motivates individuals and on what the job is like. Subsidised food will work for some. Others will need promotional possibilities, challenging projects to work on, easier to do certain parts of the job, a peaceful work area etc. Reminders about friendships / camaraderie will work for others.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118120507#Comment_118120507

If all else fails you can always go to your back-up plan of being horrific to your fellow workers

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118120507#Comment_118120507

That someone makes a typo or miss speaks is the same thing. There's a reason conversations and phone's calls are recorded and notes are written up.

Similarly that some jobs or people are not suited to wfh does not mean that its unsuitable for everyone.

Why you would use a chat text box when video or phone is available is baffling.

Rket4000

The reason you would use a chat text box to ask a question or seek advice and you don't want to disturb someone... They, or someone else who has the answer can respond when they're finished what they're doing.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118121166#Comment_118121166

It wasn't framed as the optimum medium for the context. It was framed as a the only choice and least suitable.

Sunny Disposition

I don’t think you can really encourage people to come back and be confident you’ll get anywhere. It’s just very difficult if someone has to commute a long way and has issues with collections/drop offs.

Realistically if you need staff in a certain place you just have to tell them. They won’t like it of course, so you’ve got to be sure it’s what you want. You’re bound to alienate a lot of them, but such is business.

It’s a big decision though and should be made cautiously. Only force the employees back if there’s no choice. Giving the option to them is the best idea, provided you can get everything done and aren’t too worried about the price of office space.

Sunny Disposition

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118101486#Comment_118101486

This is very interesting, effectively the company keeps an office but only requires people to be there one day a week? Surely it’d be in their interest to give up the office completely?

Electric Sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108274#Comment_118108274

At my work we usually just Skype each other rather than having a meeting to ask a question.

miamee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118121274#Comment_118121274

Yeah, my family member says she sometimes gets work questions from the grads...on snapchat 🤣 Skype sounds better.

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118121224#Comment_118121224

They own the building outright so it doesn't make a whole lot of difference, really. Running costs wouldn't be that high either, lights and heat, basically. It's a Georgian building so no fancy aircon or anything like that.

Irish_wolf

I'm going to give a different take here. There's a lot of feelings in this thread, people who feel like others get less work/lower quality done at home, people who feel they get more/better quality work done at home. Or maybe they know they get less done but are overall so much happier in their lives that they couldn't give a ****, for example they no longer have to deal with people like Mrs O Bumble who's happy to bully others to get their way. But there's not a whole load of facts coming out from people who have actually studied and analysed the producivity of their workers or the quality of their outputs. Put it in writing people and use that as your leverage. Much harder to argue against concrete facts and figures. If you can prove that the company is negatively affect by WFH measures by a significant amount then you should demand and contractually oblige people to be in the office for whatever % of the week you deem necessary. If you cant prove this then it's just a bunch of waffle and your feelings are irrelevant, let people do what they want as long as they get the job done.

For example people work more, but get less done overall according to this paper https://bfi.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/BFI_WP_2021-56.pdf

"Hours worked increased, including a rise of 18% outside normal business hours.

Average output declined slightly, thus productivity fell 8-19%"

however another paper suggests these productivity metrics are hard to measure using the older pre-pandemic measures and indicates that overall productivity will be up by a similar factor that the previous paper suggests they will be down https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28731/w28731.pdf

"We also estimate that higher levels of WFH will boost productivity by about 4.6 percent.

Over half of this productivity gain reflects the savings in commuting time afforded by WFH."

I cant work from home due to my job being an on-site job (aviation) so I cannot confirm personally how WFH has affected me but it seems that the margins for error on how productive people are at home compared to in the work place are right on the money for little to no actual change. Anecdotally people will tell you they get more done because they have ~2 hours extra per day when they are not commuting and this is what my friends and family members have reported. They are happier and less stressed. This means they can go for longer in sustained bursts rather than trying a mad 9-5 sprint where they start the day wrecked from the commute and are dreading the return journey.

The second paper also alludes to an uncomfortable truth. WFH will vastly benefit higher earners. The office was a great equaliser. Everyone has access to the same work spaces and the same equipment. The difference in the kind of WFH set-up a lead engineer can afford to create compared to the type an office admin or some entry level employee can create will be massive. This disparity will have a knock on effect in people's perceptions of who WFH is suitable for and will influence managerial decisions. It's not black and white, but unless you can prove the benefits of going back to the office with objective facts you can expect people to tell you where to go.

miamee

Great post @Irish_wolf and I agree specifically with your last paragraph. Wfh is not suitable for everyone. Not everyone has a space at home that can be designated as a 'work space' and so are working from the kitchen table, a desk in their bedroom, the sofa, whatever. In those situations you have other distractions - family or housemates in the kitchen/living room, the discomfort of not sitting at an appropriate desk or using the correct type of chair, the inconvenience to others in the household maybe having to work their day around you and your work meetings - not using the washing machine, kettle, etc when you're on a call and all of those things that you don't have to deal with in the office. WFH is a great thing - if it suits you. Being able to go to an office space that is suitable to your needs and for work only and leave work behind once you walk out the door also has it's advantages.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118122607#Comment_118122607

Yup, no argument there

For some, while their position may suit WFH, their situation may not. In those cases they should avoid WFH.

Totally logical

dulpit

Above posts show why people want a blended environment if possible.

Sunny Disposition

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118122021#Comment_118122021

Okay, if you're in that position you're under no real pressure to make a decision, can easily facilitate people who prefer an office.

Do many of the staff go in on days other than the day they are required to attend?

VonLuck

I believe the general consensus is that people will just do what suit their lifestyle and that no amount of encouragement will convince them to work one way or the other, unless mandated from upper management.

Flyonawall

OP simply put you need to put your views to management. They probably agree with you, the points you make are very valid and it's true across a lot of businesses sectors. Few enough businesses are actually suited to a 100% remote environment . The issue is that people are in dreamland and need to be shaken out of it. The delusion is just laughable from some people. The only way of doing that is mandating one day a week and then two days week. By all means flexible start and finish times to help with traffic etc.

BhoyRayzor

Right now I am in my house at 9 and 5 with WFH so the only real incentive if required to be in the office would need to be the same. So working hours would include commute time, clock in before I leave at 9 and when I get home at 5. The cost of commuting, with the price of petrol now, is another factor but employer can't cover that and if only 1 day a week would be okay.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118121224#Comment_118121224

There are only a few sectors where a company without a physical base will pass the tests applied by larger customers or suppliers.

Even as a prospective employee, if I Google a company and cannot find a physical address, I'd be worried they will disappear with wages unpaid, and quite likely tax deducted but not handed over to Revenue.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118126145#Comment_118126145

Cos having a physical location has prevented that from happening since the dawn of time...... Oh wait, no it hasn't 🙄

dulpit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118126145#Comment_118126145

I deal with our ISO standards at work. We're now essentially a virtual company with all staff working remotely. We're audited by BSI multiple times a year, and the guy I dealt with last was telling me so many companies are now mostly or fully virtual and it's not really having any major negative impact. I'm in IT, so it's a sector that's quite easy to have WFH though.

Patsy167

First step OP would be to find out what staff want. They may be agreeable to 1-day per week to begin which would be a start

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118126582#Comment_118126582

Doesn't prevent it, but it reduced the chances. At very least the employee has somewhere they know they can likely find you,or at least find your stuff.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118128544#Comment_118128544

Has to be your second weakest or third weakest argument against WFH, not sure, maybe second, have to think about it

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118120507#Comment_118120507

Do you have different people writing these posts. Aren't you the one who talked about shaming people who could not make a meeting by scheduling meeting at bad timing.

Should we talk about you posts in the working from home thread or the thread where someone's private medical stuff was shared to people. Quiet frankly if you dowork in the job you say you do I would hate to be given you

niallers1

The company I work for has seen productivity and profits increase quarter on quarter for the past 20 months when all staff were WFH.

They recently opened up the office to people wanting to return. 40 people out of nearly 900 decided to come into the office.

WFH is here to stay. Employers need to accept that or will be left with the likes of Mrs OBumble running their company into the ground.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118115506#Comment_118115506

Many are opting to drive rather then use public transport while case numbers are high.

solidasarock

I think flexibility and commitment to that flexibility is what companies need to do.

During lockdown there where times we needed to get into our office but simply couldn't, or it was such a hassle we would put it off and find work around.

Now things are more open but we are still in this weird limbo where we are WFH but its still "temporary" even though its been nearly 2 years.

We just tried to return to the office day per week since September and it was just called off and we are back to full WFH again.

For me personally, as a increasingly less young, young professional I just want them to commit one way or another. If we are basically full WFH then lets lock it down, you can downsize the office and we can have limited people in if they need to go to a office. If you want to drive everyone back into the office full time then let me know so I can find a new job now. And most importantly for me if I only need to go into Dublin 1/2 days a week then I want to move and get a place that allows me to do that but isnt in the butt crack of the commuter belt.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118129047#Comment_118129047

Or they're now travelling from places where public transport is not an option.

solidasarock

We did 1 day a week in the office and I took the bus the first week and then havent touched one again.

Between unmasked school kids during rush hour and the bus being jammed to standing room only I have been driving ever since.

fits

i moved to current job this year. I only applied for it because of wfh being possible. I live too far away to commute every day.

they started a hybrid return to office and my team were asked to do 3 days a week. I requested two. But this has been postponed for now. Even two days is exhausting. that said I do like getting into office

if a full return to office were mandated I’d have no choice but to resign. I physically can’t do it.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118130344#Comment_118130344

passed a major crash on the motorway during the week, wouldnt surprise me if it was someone doing regular long commutes, single vehicle crash, this is nuts that we re sending people to work, with long commutes

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118130371#Comment_118130371

We aren't sending them.

They are choosing to take jobs a long way from home.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118130371#Comment_118130371

Ah that's a bit of a stretch now isn't it ?

It could have been anything.

Did you think the same pre COVID when you saw or heard of of a motorway crash ?

I doubt it.

Backstreet Moyes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118131214#Comment_118131214

Does everyone have the option to have a job close to where they live?

No so they need to travel to work away from home.

Thankfully the option to wfh now gives them the option not to travel.

Patsy167

Interesting how quickly things seem to be reverting back to the mean - "Three out of four jobs advertised in the UK still do not offer any kind of flexible work options, according to an annual survey of over five million ads."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59211233

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118139720#Comment_118139720

What percentage are unsuited to wfh such as hospitality industry. Also there would be lots of jobs that do not mention it but will allow it during the on boarding negotiations