- Workplace models are under the microscope. Many U.S. employers are dealing with the aftereffects of shifting some or all of their workers to a remote setup during the pandemic.
- Change can be difficult. Employers have various reasons for bringing workers back to the office, but getting all workers on board is far from a simple task.
- Benefit enhancements may prove helpful. Employers may consider a variety of benefit adjustments (e.g., commuting reimbursements, work schedules) to gain workforce buy-in to a full-time or part-time return to the office.
When the COVID pandemic forced many United States employers to move to a remote workforce scenario, few of them could have predicted exactly what the long-term impact would be from such a dramatic change.
Workplace models are now in a state of limbo. ("Do we go back to how things used to be?" "Do we keep the new status quo?" "Is there a middle ground?") Companies are trying to figure out how to proceed. Along those lines, a variety of large employers (e.g., JP Morgan Chase, Apple, Amazon) recently began implementing full-time return-to-office (RTO) or office-first hybrid strategies. The results for these have been mixed in terms of employee acceptance.
According to experts, employers do have ample reasons for bringing workers back to the office. Primary among these is returning to a more in-person, team-focused culture as well as increased efficiencies and the need to generate returns from corporate real estate costs. Some employees may welcome such a change; others may not. Enticing current and prospective employees in the latter group is a challenge and an opportunity.
The situation for organizations is delicate. Altering the workplace model and seeking to have workers give up some or all of their remote work entitlements may require finesse, creativity and adjustments to the rewards offering.
For example, a new survey from cloud-based communications solutions provider Ringover found that of more than 1,000 workers queried, 8 out of 10 would be more willing to return to the office if their employer paid for their commute. A 2023 Bankrate survey found workers spent, on average, around $700 a month on commuting to the office – accounting for gas, vehicle maintenance, potentially higher car insurance, income/time lost due to commuting, etc.
Other perks that those surveyed by Ringover believe would entice them back to the office include a paid-for, on-site gym (77.1%), more time with coworkers they are friends with (76%), increased charitable contributions by their organization (75.7%) and a four-day workweek (74.1%).
Tailoring as a Trend
Klarissa Fitzpatrick, SEO and marketing manager at Ringover, said based on her experience and the firm’s most recent data, offering rewards/enticements tailored to ease workers’ return to the workplace appears to be an emerging trend.
“It certainly seems as though some employers are going to start including benefits like paid commutes and on-site gyms to attract workers back to the office,” Fitzpatrick said, adding workers today who enjoy the benefits of remote work will often avoid applying for jobs at in-office companies in favor of “remote-first” ones.
“If ‘in-office’ employers want to attract the best talent, they’ll need to offer some benefits for working in the office,” she said.
Regarding the pros and cons of mandating an RTO policy, Fitzpatrick said employers that want to successfully encourage staff to come back to the office may need to sweeten the benefits pot.
“A lot of employees feel they have proven they can do their jobs remotely, and they may also have a better work-life balance because of it,” she said, and that means employers likely need to make coming to the office worth it to mitigate the risk of losing experienced staff.
“A mandatory return-to-office order could put these employees at a significant financial disadvantage, so an employer covering this cost would make a big difference,” she said.
Additional Pros for Workers who are Pro-Office
Incentives may not only help the reticent to embrace workplace change; they may increase momentum for those who prefer an office-first setup.
A recent ResumeBuilder.com survey on the workplace preferences of 1,250 full-time workers found 7 in 10 don’t want to be fully remote, with 40% wanting to be fully in-person and 32% preferring hybrid work. Communication and collaboration are top reasons why employees prefer an in-person setup. Also, of those who favor hybrid work, the majority would like an arrangement with three days in the office.
“With the tug-and-pull surrounding remote and hybrid work, the voices of those advocating for full-time in-office work have not always received equal attention,” said ResumeBuilder.com chief career advisor Stacie Haller.
Being Flexible to the Flux
Haller said while the desire for some in-office presence remains prevalent for many companies, the extent of this preference remains subject to flux. She explained it’s clear a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer tenable in today’s diverse workforce landscape.
“The specific configuration of in-office versus remote work versus hybrid continues to be a matter of ongoing negotiation and adaptation,” she said.
Michael Citron, a principal and compensation and rewards consultant at Mercer, said that company’s 2022 U.S. Flexible Working Policies and Practices Survey found organizations have tried to incent employees to return to the office by making work more comfortable, affordable and efficient. For instance, offers of note included: relaxed dress codes (60%), more flexibility on working hours (55%), free or subsidized parking or other commuting assistance (35%), redesigned office space to better suit employee needs (34%) and enhanced office technology (31%).
“But it’s not a one-size-fits-all model,” he said, adding that when reimagining total rewards, the most successful organizations are generally those that lead with listening and conduct employee sensing to understand what their people care most about. Often, he said, different companies develop different answers, many of which may be right for them based on their employees’ unique preferences and needs.
“While some companies consider temporary RTO-related offerings, they may later find it is hard to take them away,” Citron said. He added that by revisiting their holistic rewards, employers can reinvest in different ways to better align with employee preferences in a cost-neutral way – resulting in more sustainable, longer-lasting changes to their total rewards strategies.
“Those strategies not only incentivize employees to return to the office, but also are a way to retain them and motivate them to pursue organizational objectives,” he stated.
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