If the response of GM’s CEO Mary Barra is any indication, some return-to-office (RTO) mandates are backfiring. The recent string of high-profile mea culpas is an echo of when fits and starts of RTO initiatives clashed with employees’ worries about sharing airspace with their coworkers again at the height of Covid. While in these cases, it may have been too soon to ask employees to return, what is holding employees back now, well past the worst of the pandemic?
Each employer faces this core riddle to interrogate and resolve. Even with the threat of recession, the voice of the employee is powerful, and an exodus of talent hurts companies in any climate. For companies with a strong desire to make their office culture thrive again, getting the balance right with RTO may mean a few missteps along the way. If things don’t go right the first time, we say: save your apologies – and push forward in a spirit of discovery.
For any employers who might have had a recent stumble or two, we offer below a few ways of re-framing the concept of RTO, starting with leadership’s mindset, to communication, the office environment, and how to proceed in pilot mode.
Let go of the past.
“You can’t use an old map to explore a new world.” – Albert Einstein.
Einstein’s quote should serve as the foundational philosophy of any RTO strategy. It is indeed a new world of work after Covid, and in that sense, the “return” in “return to office” is a misnomer. The pandemic caused a psychological shift, and a prolonged experience of working from home is not something that will be reversed or forgotten. Expecting, or worse, coercing people to revert to a pre-Covid status quo may not be a realistic way to cultivate enthusiasm about office life in 2022 and beyond.
We advise employers to regard RTO not as a true “return” to anything, but a step into the possibilities of the future. “Regenerate the Office” – accommodating or conceptualizing new ways of working – is what RTO should embody.
Let go of the past, and view what lies ahead as a period of experimentation that should make your company, office, and business teams stronger. What that looks like as far as your in-office policy may evolve over several iterations.