'Return to the office or resign!'
Why full time return to office mandates are at odds with inclusivity and productivity
It began in the new year, when UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, called ‘civil servants back to the office to inspire the private sector’.
In March, Goldman Sachs CEO, David Solomon, reportedly ‘ordered employees back to the office five days (or more) a week’.
In April the UK Government Efficiency Minister, Jacob Rees-Mogg, caused offence when leaving notes on the desks of absent civil servants that read: ‘Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon’.
Then this month Tesla boss, Elon Musk, issued staff with an ultimatum along the lines of ‘come back into the office full time or resign’.
It would be easy to conclude that these comments are antagonistic, arrogant and archaic, and simply reflect the wealth and unchecked privilege of their speakers – all those quoted are wealthy men whose circumstances and support systems clearly make it much easier for them to readily return to the office.
Yet, while it could be argued that these leaders would benefit from a refresher on self-reflection and self-awareness, it would be unfair to dismiss the wider context in which they’ve made these comments – the economic (and political) consequences of us not fully returning to the office.
For example, TfL, responsible for running London’s public transport, report weekday underground usage is hovering around 70% of pre-pandemic levels. That’s unfortunate for their revenues but the remaining 30% didn’t suddenly hop on a bike or sport a pair of Nike’s to walk in, so the wider economic implications for cities are huge.
Beyond the headlines
But for all these comments (and the resulting media headlines that try to nudge us back to the office), the pandemic has shifted the mindset and behaviour of many knowledge workers – not just in London but worldwide.
The great resignation isn’t just another headline, it’s a reality. A rethinking of priorities has led to historic numbers quitting and a talent war across the UK, USA and Europe. People are voting with their feet and are leaving employers who seem to be treating them like children by mandating a full-time office return.
Paul Polman, recently identified that business leaders increasingly find themselves stuck between their employees and politicians. When that happens, he says “we should side with our people”. Flexible working is one of those occasions because it matters to many.
Take this new research, for example, drawn from 1,500 organisations across the UK and US. It reports that:
‘41% of employees say flexibility to work from home is a reason to change jobs,’ and
An overwhelming ‘96% rank flexibility in working arrangements as a key factor when finding a new employer.’
In February, LinkedIn also reported that, for the first time ever, remote jobs on their platform received half of all applications – despite representing less than 20% of all jobs posted. Noticing the trend, last month LinkedIn also launched a campaign called ‘flexible is’ to spark a debate about what flexible working is and looks like.
Those of us who don’t wish to accept prolonged staffing gaps or settle for ‘not quite right’ talent, already understand the need for a more flexible approach to where and when we work – even though this may involve us adjusting office space, resources and even leadership style.
Such leaders are working to strike the right balance between remote and office work, between the needs of their organisations, their teams and their individual team members. They appreciate that personal circumstances vary and make it easier for some to go back to the office than others, that work life balance matters to everyone, that behaviours and expectations have changed for good, and that there’s no one size fits all.
They are weighing the uplift in productivity that comes from flexible working against the benefits of coming together in person to build personal connections and what Microsoft calls ‘social capital’ – essential to any organisation wanting its people to move beyond just accomplishing tasks on their ‘to do’ lists.
So, like so often, the solution lies somewhere in the middle.
The shift to greater flexibility seems inevitable, and the most enlightened organisations are already seizing flexible working as an opportunity to:
advance diversity, equity and inclusion,
increase employee satisfaction, and
enhance innovation and productivity.
Unhelpful rhetoric from prominent leaders about flexible working is exactly that - unhelpful. Instead, we owe it to our organisations, our people and ourselves to be more openminded and together evaluate and decide on an approach that works for us.
June 2022
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