Many employees are used to working from home in the wake of COVID-19. But some businesses can’t stay in remote situations forever. Certain jobs need to be done on-site with other employees and leadership. It’s difficult to build teams and collaborate virtually. Yet, your employees may not want to return to the office. So you need to be persuasive and offer benefits for returning, or you could lose top talent to other companies.
One Harvard Business School study found remote workers were interested in staying in a full-time remote position (27%) or hybrid situation (61%). Only 18% said they wanted to return to the office full-time.
How can you convince your employees to willingly come back?
Here are five things employees want from the reimagined workplace in a post-pandemic world.
Encourage a Better Connection/Collaboration
Gallup says Americans report the highest levels of happiness if they can socialize six to seven hours each day. When you encourage quick connects, social lunches and hallway chats, you offer something that employees couldn’t have while working from home. Collaboration is much easier to accomplish in person than over video conferencing.
Rethink Your Physical Office Appeal
Do you need new office furniture? An office facelift to look more on brand? This is the perfect time to reimagine how your space can be better used, more efficient and more inspiring.
Your space should foster relationships and help employees stay focused when they are trying to get things done. Make your collaboration spaces comfortable and inviting. Use a professional cleaning service that will keep the building extremely clean so people will feel comfortable working there.
Take the Chance to Rebuild the Culture
Take time to consider what kind of environment is important to your top employees. What was good and bad about your culture before? Define what makes your company unique. People want to feel like they are part of something that matters.
Create Local Partnerships
Connections within the community can support your employees’ needs for socialization and build your company’s local relationships at the same time. For example, hire a coffee truck for the morning, run a food drive for a local pantry, provide a yoga class, rotate artwork from local artists throughout your office like a gallery, etc. Find out what is important to your employees and partner with outside organizations to make their workplace experience more exciting and meaningful.
Support the Health Needs of Employees
Demand sick workers stay home and give them time to take leave. When people feel like they can’t take off, they will show up sick—which hurts your workplace environment. Support your employees’ mental health needs as well, helping them navigate burnout, depression, anxiety and other struggles that impact their workday.
At Palo Alto Staffing, we help bring workplaces and top talent together. Whether you are looking for a job or need more employees, we can help! Silicon Valley firms lead the way for employee recognition and change in countless industries. Apply now, and let’s talk!