I STARTED NOTICING IT ABOUT A YEAR AGO, FRIENDS WHO WERE FELLOW REMOTE-WORKERS WITH A PARTICULAR COMPANY, WERE BEING CALLED BACK INTO THE OFFICE “FOR ONE OR TWO DAYS A WEEK”. THINGS STARTED TO GO A BIT WEIRD WHEN ANOTHER ROUND OF EMAILS STATED THAT EMPLOYEES NEEDED TO BE “IN THE OFFICE EVERY DAY, EXCEPT FOR FRIDAYS”.
For this particular cohort, before they knew it, they were glued to their office chairs five days a week. For many, this outcome wasn’t wholly unexpected, some said that they had started to prepare for the inevitable from the first email they received, mentioning a once-a-week return to the office. But what was baffling was why those leaders were not immediately transparent about their long-term plans! Once the media was reporting on this, it was clear that the shift from “hybrid work” to a strict return-to-office (RTO) was more than anecdotal. It seems some companies have opted for a subtly dishonest approach to full-time, inperson work, which has really put employee trust on the line.
Leaders must ask themselves if their RTO approach matches the sentiment of their team. Only 12 percent of hybrid employees want to spend more than four days on-site, a statistic that sharply contrasts the RTO mandates from a rising number of high profile corporations. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with an honest and open RTO strategy. There is nothing to worry about if your team is open to returning to the office and you’re clear about your plan. The problem exists when businesses that were once vehemently supportive of remote work use “hybrid work” to quietly demand a total return to the office, without employee input.
Firm RTO mandates are popping up everywhere, leaving employees wondering if hybrid work was ever the end-game goal. Perhaps some corporations weren’t ready to announce their RTO strategy, knowing their employees would revolt. Instead, they used “hybrid work” as a warm-up to make employees accustomed to the idea. If this is the case, employee engagement, already in decline, is seriously at risk. Leaders need to know how vital employee trust is and ensure their RTO strategies are created openly and honestly, preferably with employee input. But without consensus, they are stifling employee engagement and damaging trust. A critical factor in company success, is endangered when company culture shifts suddenly and without employee input.
Collaborating with team members to create a hybrid work policy is one of the most impactful strategies Gallup has studied among employees returning to the office. Unfortunately, while this seems like a straightforward way to approach hybrid work, Gallup found it isn’t the norm. While well over half of leadership teams (66 percent) think they’re being “very transparent” regarding their RTO policies, less than half of employees (42 percent) agree. Coming to a compromise that keeps employee satisfaction high and encourages the collaboration and togetherness managers seek is critical. A discreet, full-time RTO push risks employee engagement and job satisfaction, which can negatively impact profits and productivity.
It’s impossible to say whether leadership teams are consciously using hybrid work as a disguise for their ultimate goal of returning employees to their offices full-time. But one thing that companies can’t overlook is the impact strict RTO decrees can have on employee trust. Knowing how eager most employees are to remain partially flexible with their schedule, managers need to use employee input to shape their policies. In the spirit of cooperation, I’ll remove my tinfoil hat and focus on believing in and supporting flexible working arrangements.
