What We Miss When We Aren’t Together: 4 Arguments for a Return to Office

Many high-profile executives and big-name companies have done more than make arguments for a return to office (RTO): They’ve demanded it.

And they might be onto something — something many employees aren’t fond of.

Now, HR is stuck in the middle of the RTO v. WFH (work from home, that is).

In this HRMorning post, we’ll dig into why RTO is necessary and how to make it work the best. (Don’t worry, fans of WFH — we have your side of the coin covered here.)

Why Make Arguments for a Return to Office?

“There is no doubt that employees stand to gain from a return to office, especially in light of the loneliness epidemic, which has been fueled by remote work,” says Laura Putnam, a workplace well-being expert, international public speaker and author of Workplace Wellness That Works.

Four reasons that make the argument for a return to office:

• Negative effects of full-time remote work. Putnam cites a pre-pandemic study that documented a wide range of problems linked to full-time remote work. Some of the biggest: blurring of work/life boundaries, negative impact on career progression and more feelings of social isolation.
• Innovation suffers. Another study from two researchers out of the Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management found remote work takes its toll on collaboration and innovation. In short, teams that work remotely are far less likely to come up with unique and profitable ideas than teams that work shoulder-to-shoulder.
• Miscues and miscommunication. The Kellogg researchers found that being physically together allows co-workers to read body language, mull a problem at a whiteboard and team up to use equipment that’s special to their purpose. Those just aren’t possible across Zoom and geographies, which leads to miscommunication.
• Lost knowledge. Employees who don’t collaborate in-person miss opportunities to learn from colleagues and gain expertise — what the Kellogg researchers called “a knowledge disparity and segregation.” This negatively affects the newest generation of employees most.

But it’s not just work collaboration that makes RTO make sense.

“There’s no question that an in-office environment is beneficial for different segments of the employee population. One group of employees, for example, are those earlier in their careers, who can benefit from closer, everyday contact with their colleagues in the workplace as it can help to accelerate their learning and give them a thorough exposure to their field,” says Doug Dennerline, CEO at Betterworks.

Make the Best of RTO

The problem for many organizations these days is the fear of — or actual — revolt from employees who don’t want to be on site at all.

So, if you’re on board with RTO, proceed with some level of conscientiousness and caution.

“That said, employers need to implement return-to-office policies in a thoughtful way, paying close attention to the human needs of every employee. This requires every employer to implement tangible policies that improve the larger company culture and also allow for individualization and continued flexibility,” says Putnam.

Four keys here:

• Be specific. Like Putnam said, if you require an RTO, create a policy that clearly states what’s expected as far as what happens on-site: exact days, hours, duties, meetings, space usage, etc. Also include examples of what a day in the office looks like (which is not just a “let’s get caught up on sports, TV and family” day).
• Show the facts. Help employees see how an RTO benefits them and the organization. For one, everyone will be more productive (despite what the naysayers say, there’s proof that people are 10% to 20% less productive from home). Plus, they multitask more at home — “it’s a lot harder to be disciplined and exercise self-control when we’re working from home – and many of us are getting distracted with off-task activities like shopping online, scrolling social media, planning trips, washing dishes, even drinking!” says Putnam.
• Facilitate collaboration. For younger employees — who, in many areas, are calling for the RTO — on-site work gives them an opportunity to connect with new colleagues, learn and create networks. Veteran employees can mentor, train and carry on the culture. Give employees time and space to meet formally and informally when on-site. “Without the right tools and technology in place to support productive remote work that keeps employees engaged, an in-office environment might be the best way for some organizations to improve collaboration and relationships between employees and their colleagues and managers,” says Dennerline.
• Use it to improve WFH. If you’re like most companies, your RTO isn’t back to 40 hours a week in an office. So help employees make the hours in the office enhance their remote work. Ask them to make office hours the time for collaboration, training and technical check-ins. So, when they work alone, they can focus on individual duties.

RTO Real-Work Stories

Some big companies have required a return to office in recent months. Despite initial pushback, they’re moving forward. Some examples:

• Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told employees to come back to the office three days a week or face consequences such as being blocked from promotions. And if they refused to commit to the company’s RTO policy, he suggested they find other work.
• At Tesla, Elon Musk issued an ultimatum, calling for employees to come back into the office for a minimum of 40 hours per week. One email reportedly said that if staff continue to work remotely, Musk will assume they have resigned.
• At Google, the chief people officer said the company will consider whether employees are complying with the three-day-per-week requirement as part of their performance reviews.

Obviously, if your organization requires an RTO, you don’t want to upset employees — or threaten them! Instead, focus on the positives you expect from an RTO. One being, that more than 60% of CEOs say their RTO has improved workplace productivity, according to a Resume Builder study.

“Being immersed in an organization’s culture, developing a community among colleagues, and developing those essential professional contacts that help so many throughout their careers, are also major benefits of in-office work,” says Dennerline.