The Return-to-Office Trend: How Employees and Employers Are Reacting

As the conversation around different work modes continues, the trend toward returning to the office has been met with very different reactions.

We recently published a report that looks at what employers and employees think about returning to the office, productivity, and remote work. In this episode, Anita and Vanessa dive into the surprising insights and what HR leaders can learn from work mode preferences.

Anita explains why we need to elevate the conversation beyond simply deciding whether people should be in the office. She encourages a focus on the bigger picture to determine the best way forward to achieve our goals.

The report also signified a worrying trend – that both remote and in-office workers feel the need to demonstrate their productivity through actions like keeping the green ‘active’ status on at all times. But while people may look productive, it doesn’t mean they are. Vanessa and Anita explain that businesses need clear metrics and goals aligned with their mission no matter which side your organization takes in the RTO vs. remote debate.

Key moments: 

• Introducing BambooHR’s new report
• Why we need to look at the bigger picture when it comes to returning to the office
• The green status effect and the need to prove productivity
• How to avoid focusing on the wrong things
• Why employers need to make the work mode align with goals
• How companies get intentional about in-office vs remote days
• How hybrid working arrangements during COVID have affected flexibility and the work-life balance
• Why the secret to perfecting this is in good leadership
• Advice for businesses doing something new

Key links: 

• Subscribe to HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/
• Join HR Heroes Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQw/
• Bamboo HR Homepage: https://www.bamboohr.com/
• Visibility Beats Productivity for RTO & Remote Report: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/guides/return-to-office