Companies are finally opening their offices and bringing employees back after long months of working remotely. Employers have been pushing for this return to the office for a few months now but kept getting delayed as the world continued to battle the global pandemic. As the pandemic dust starts to settle, employees will finally have to get their work outfits ready and start getting back into their workplaces. Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta have already started introducing hybrid working schedules to get their employees back into the groove of things. Although not everyone is ready or excited to get out of their comfortable work-from-home office spaces, put on some actual pants, and commute to their offices.
Most employees feel they are much happier, more productive, comfortable, and safer working from their homes. Employees want the office work paradigm to shift and have a few wishes before they make their return to their office. Let’s look at some changes employees want before returning to the office.
Better Work-Life Integration
Everyone has gotten used to the balance between work and life remote working has allowed us to have. Those who have children have been able to spend so much more time with their children, and they have more time to work on caring for their children. People had more time to work and do chores around the house and just more time for themselves overall. All this extra time didn’t result in work being left unfinished; instead, workers felt higher productivity levels and lower stress while working from home. Workers are not ready to give this work-life balance up and the pandemic showed people how to use their time as efficiently as possible. It allowed them to take their time back for themselves and better balance living,working, and resting.
The New ‘Office’
The routine of commuting back and forth from the office andliving the 9 to 5 lifestyle has dictated much of humanity over our lives. Our cities are designed with office traffic in mind, our sleeping patterns are dictated by when and where we work, the damage in pollution work commutes cause, everything needs to change. The past few months showed the world how work doesn’t really require a ‘physical’ workplace barring a few industries. Employers should be prepared to offer flexibility and choice regarding where and when their employees work.
Work from home proved that all the unnecessary meetings we had at the office were, well, unnecessary. Working from home showed us that not all work needs face-to-face interaction and collaboration. Workers need changes for a better future, which means a better environment for their future. No commutes, at least not commuting everyday, will considerably impact the pollution traffic causes.
Flexibility
Flexibility is what workers want and wish for the most.Workers want to be able to work whenever, however, and wherever they want. Allowing employees to work remotely, letting them come into the office if theyneed or want to, letting them set their own schedules, and a lot more. Workers want as much control over their work and time as possible. As long as all the required work is getting done and on time, why not allow your employees to be more flexible?
Final Thoughts
There isn’t a single, correct approach to hybrid or remote working and every organization works differently. Organizations and employers need to discuss and speak with their employees and support whatever their ideal working situation is. Every employee is different, and the changes employees want before returning to the office are all different too. At the end of the day, it is up to the employers to discuss and work on a solution that satisfies both the workers and the business side of things.