What challenges do you anticipate when employees return to the office?
Sort By:
Oldest
CIO in Manufacturing2 years ago
Over the last couple years of working at home, I’ve noticed that when I have gone into the office, being in these in person meetings takes so much of my energy. It's different from meeting virtually where I have the relaxation of being in my own home and I can go do what I want in between meetings. But in person, you need this elevated level of energy to interact and take in all this stimulation. So one strategy of mine is just recognizing that the other team members will go through that. Since we've gone remote, my IT department is probably the most engaged that they've been in the history of the organization, because this works well for them. They can just do their work and be able to check out. So it will be important to recognize that people are going to have challenges with their energy levels.Director of IT in Software2 years ago
I love the energy of being in the office, but it is a different level of exhaustion. I’ve come to take it for granted that I don't have to battle that right now. I almost forgot that I'm actually pretty introverted. And it's much easier to do whatever you need to when you’re meeting virtually; even if you're doing back-to-back meetings, you can schedule 15 or 30 minutes in between. But when you're in the office, in that same 15-minute interval you're at your computer, looking like you're working while you're really trying to refresh. You can't just sit at your desk and stare. You can take a walk but it's a different expectation. Those unconscious changes in the way that you operate during the day will be a common challenge as people return to work. VP of Engineering in Software2 years ago
We anticipate a need to restart group lunches and group events. HR also plans to have multiple short sessions to remind everyone of the need to be civil, not discriminate, mindful of others and helping - just a normal employee. We also expect IT to be busy reconnecting everyone at the office while maintaining their home connectivity, as we do not expect a full-time return to the office for most employees. Management also plans for a few issues with commuting and with personal family events that employees got used to managed directly at home for 2 1/2 years. So far, the few employees who returned to the office 3 days or more are fine, so we may be too worried and overplanning.Solutions Architect in Software2 years ago
From my perspective, the first question that should be answered is: "What are the benefits of returning to office? What business aspects does it improve and what problems does it solve?"Our company is globally distributed across multiple countries and dozens of cities. The teams do not benefit from this quick synchronous communication, that can be achieved in the office because it still requires zoom calls to involve people.
So the business first has to decide if there are more benefits from returning back to the office than downsides.
Chief Technology Officer in Software2 years ago
This really depends from organization to organization. Generally speaking, working hours have gone up after work from home was introduced. However, this does not necessarily equate to better productivity. The social aspect of going into work is an important factor in keeping people motivated. There will be teething issues with reintroducing a mandatory return to office. The general exhaustion of traveling to work and the cost associate to it tend to demotivate employees as well.