Do Chief Executives get lonely in their big corner offices? Is that why some high profile CE’s have insisted on a return to the office 5 days a week? The reason I say this is that recently a high profile CE said the office is ,”much more fun “ with everyone in attendance!
When it suited organisations suddenly it was not only possible but essential employees worked from home. Now post Covid organisations are saying it’s no longer desirable. But it suited many employees not to have a lengthy commute to work and to have a little more flexibility in their working day. Many people assumed that the case for working from home at least part of the week had been proved. Not so, it appears as more and more organisations require employees to return to the office five days a week.
Hence the CE of Boots saying, “ There is no doubt in my mind that the informal conversations ,brief catch ups and ability to meet in groups have been more effective …than the enforced formality of remote meetings.” But is he right ? This was followed up by a spokesperson for the organisation who said, “ We really value the team spirit that comes with people being together in person.”
My experience as a member of a senior management team is that even in an open plan office their is limited time and contact for informal conversations or brief catch ups because people are out of the office or in meetings. Some of my colleagues and some previous bosses did Informal catchups by phone in the evening, we built on the team spirit by going for a meal after work may be every six weeks( took that long to coordinate diary’s)more formerly we had regular team away days and of course our weekly team meeting. We didn’t rely on informal catch ups but had monthly one to ones booked in the diary. I worked from home every Friday for years without any problems.
Clearly a lot of employees have, like me , found working part of the week from home liberating. It would also appear that all the benefits claimed for working five days a week in the office can be achieved working 3 days in the office and two days from home. Which begs the question why do increasing numbers of Chief Executives really want everyone back in the office five days a week? Why they just think it will be more fun!
