What You Need To Think About With Remote Workers Returning To The Office

The number of companies that offered remote roles during the pandemic was astounding. The hesitation came as so many employers expected a drop in overall productivity. The opposite happened in so many situations as people were actually more productive. The dropping of unnecessary meetings and the plight of dealing with distracting coworkers was eliminated. Returning to the office is something that some professionals vowed that they would never do. The following are things to think about when you have remote workers returning to the office.

A Hybrid Model

A hybrid model of work has been the answer for some companies. Coming into the office a few days a week could be required in customer-facing positions. There could be employees that have moved during the time remote work was offered. You have to think carefully of how bringing people back to the office will impact employee retention. A hybrid model can be implemented until all processes are scalable so a company can grow in a healthy manner.

How Morale Will Be Impacted

Bringing employees back to the office after the most profitable quarter ever is very unwise. People love doing well at their job and don’t like change happening during this. Certain people might miss the office due to the interactions with coworkers but others do not miss this at all. The last thing you want is a massive amount of employees to put in their notice. For some people, remote work opened their eyes to the way they want to work for the rest of their lives. 

Creating An Inviting Place To Return To

There are offices that are actually fun environments to enter. Others can seem like you are walking down a soulless hall with fluorescent lights. Cubicles can drain the morale of a team especially after working remotely in the comfort of their house. Replacing chairs for comfortable ones can be a great investment in your employee’s comfort. Commercial heating repair and maintenance with the winter upon us is also important. Nobody wants to go into a cold office and stay there for an extended period of time. Take time to ask employees what they would like to see in the office. 

Additional Costs Associated

Rental costs can be the largest fixed price a business pays besides employee wages each month. The cash flow that is saved from allowing an entire remote employee pool can be used in a variety of areas. The ability to hire people from across the country can be a great way to save money on quality work. An employee can be offered the opportunity to work remotely on a contract basis. These employees that don’t produce can have their contract ended more easily than terminating them from a traditional role. 

Having workers return to the office has to be done carefully. You want to maintain momentum especially if things have been going very well since going remote. Understand that the expectations of an employer and employees is changing all over the world.