It’s time to start articulating Return to the Office expectations

Flexible working has become a catch-all phrase to communicate changes in the workplace but employers and employees need to be aligned with what this flexible looks like.

When asked this question as part of the Return to the Office Insights Report, 47% of employers said they would implement ‘some form’ of flexible working though very few, at the time of reporting, had a firm plan in place.

Others offered possibilities around 60%/40% office/home and three- or four-day weeks but respondents were encouraged that the majority of employees were ‘enthusiastic’ about a return.

The enthusiasm comes from knowledge that, for many, the 9am-5pm Monday to Friday working week is over and is to be replaced by a more flexible approach to core hours. Anecdotal evidence tells us that people have already determined what their flexible future-work looks like. Employers may have to re-shape working patterns in the minds of individuals into something that is consistent and works for the business, as well as the employee.

As an example, a real estate director explained he wanted his team in the office on a Monday morning to start the week together and set priorities. His team are not yet aware of this and he admits there may be some push back.

That many organisations have not yet started to articulate plans to their employees can no longer be attributed to an uncertainty from Government because the roadmap is clear. Employers instead may be waiting for others to jump first so they can gather insight into what works and what does not.  The truth is, no one knows what structures will be best for business and best for people long-term. The big finance and tech firms who have publicised their plans have very different return-to-work strategies; the state of the office market also seems to be full of contradictions.

I know architects who are busier than ever and contractors who are pumping out tenders for Central London office schemes. Google, an early adopter of remote working is now switching to a hybrid model and asking some employees to return to their desks sooner rather than later. Yet only this week Canary Warf Group swapped its approved office tower for BtR. Read into that what you will.

That people have demonstrated their work can be done so successfully – and productively – from home, undermines the argument for anything short of a light touch return. A PM director explained that a three-hour commute to sit at another desk makes no sense. Another said they had too much on to go into the workplace, knowing they would be pulled into the conversations and distractions that go with an open plan office.

Employers and employees have seen the benefits of remote and agile working. Employers need to be transparent about their thinking so employees feel informed about why structures, different to what they may have anticipated, are being put in place.

Before this can happen, employers need to be clear in their own mind why there is a need to be in the office if people are working well from home. Make the narrative compelling, make it persuasive, and make it real – if you’re not sure why you’re asking everyone to come back in, your reasons won’t come across as authentic and necessary.

The aim is not to have all employees simply return to the office, but for everyone to look forward to re-joining a collective culture in whatever shape or form that has been decided.