A big political moment took place recenlty. If you missed it on your commute from bed to the kitchen table, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Public Service Minister Nicola Willis have ordered public servants back to the office, stating that “working from home is not an entitlement”.
Fresh guidance has been issued to the Public Service Commissioner, setting an expectation that public service Chief Exec’s need to reinvigorate the message that “working from home arrangements are not an entitlement, they’re an agreement.
Crown Entities are off the hook, they can heed the decree but are not bound by it.
This announcement from government will have a ripple effect that extends beyond public sector.
The work from home, hybrid working, return to work conversation has not let up. This has been a challenge for all sectors with office workers, who very quickly had to adopt work from home capacity circa March 2020.
Employers benefited from a good level of business continuity and employees discovered the advantages of working from home such as, no commute, saving money, and a better ability to manage life’s priorities and relentless admin.
Workers gained new insight into how they could slice up their day to complete their best work and the lines of a traditional 9 – 5 became blurred. You could start early, work late, check on your banana bread while replying to emails and dive into focus work without being distracted by your desk neighbour practicing TikTok dances.
We learnt a lot about our workforce, and we learnt a lot about how we like to work.
Europlan has had flexible work policies in place since the early 2000’s, we’ve been invested in this discussion for a long time. We’re keen to look at some practical ways organisations can address the concerns employees have about returning to the office full time and make the office an appealing place people want to come and spend time in.
-
Can you offer Flexible Work Schedules in place of WFH
One of the key advantages of working from home is the flexibility it provides, allowing employees to set their own schedules and work in a way that best suits them.
To entice employees back to the office, companies can consider offering more flexible work schedules. This could include adjusted start and finish times, compressed workweeks, or the ability to work part-time or job-share with other colleagues.
Embracing flexible work schedules can be really empowering for your team and keep them motivated and engaged with working for your organisation.
You can still ensure you have times when they come into the office and collaborate with colleagues. Working this way can also help to reduce the time cost and expense of travelling to an office, as employees can schedule their work hours to avoid peak commuting times, or reduce their in-office days, which can result in savings on public transport, petrol and parking expenses.
-
Create a workspace with choices
If hybrid working is off the table, can you create, re-design, or reconfigure your workspace to give employees more choice and control over where and how they work.
Being able to move from collaboration to focus work is key. Big thinking requires big execution and for some staff that requires dedicated quiet space without interruptions.
Ensuring your workplace is laid out to accommodate a range of work styles with the right furniture to drive outcomes is key. Dedicated space for collaboration and innovation to take place, focus zones for deep work, breakout areas for social activity. Furniture, technology and the right tools all contribute to the success of this style of workplace design.
-
Hybrid-Work
By giving employees more choice and control over where and how they work, companies can help address concerns about increased living costs, while still maintaining the benefits of in-person collaboration.
For example, employees could work from home when they need to focus on a task that requires concentration and meeting and interruption-free time, while coming into the office for tasks that require collaboration, teamwork and innovation.
-
Promote Sustainable Transportation Options
Another way to address concerns about increased commuting costs is to promote sustainable transportation options, such as biking, walking, ride sharing or taking public transport. Companies can provide resources and incentives to encourage employees to use these modes of transportation, such as offering secure bike storage, end of trip or end of journey locker storage, incentives to use public transport, or flexible work schedules that allow for off-peak commuting.
By promoting sustainable transportation options, companies not only reduce the cost of commuting for their employees, but also demonstrate their commitment to environmental sustainability.
-
Get the basics right
To ensure a smooth transition from home to work, spend some time taking stock of your current state of play. Do you have enough desks or ergonomic work points for 100% occupancy? Have you considered how to manage acoustics for any increases in noise pollution with a full-time work force making coffee, using microwaves, conversations, banter and occasional singing?
Distractions will kill productivity, and you might find output decreases if you don’t nail the key pillars of good workplace design.
While remote work has become increasingly popular in recent years, many employees still value the benefits of working in an office environment. The key reasons employees want to head back into the office is for in-person connection. You can think about how you might structure meeting days, workshop days or internal events to ensure you give your team opportunities for regular interaction and collaboration time.
By offering flexible work schedules, embracing hybrid work arrangements, promoting sustainable transportation options, providing office amenities and perks and ensuring inspiring, comfortable work environments, companies can entice their employees back to the office.
When it comes to bringing staff back to work full time, consider the challenge you’re trying to solve and build a strategy from there. Think about new metrics you can develop that measure output and the wellbeing of your organisation and its individuals.
We’re here to help and can work with you to create a workplace that meets the needs of your business and your employees – contact one of our workplace design experts today.
