Businesses are Tiring of Remote Work – Employees are Not

According to Inc.com staff writer Amrita Khalid, the days of endless Zoom calls and Slack notifications are coming to an end for many American workers. Survey results from Chicago-based staffing and recruiting firm LaSalle Network show that nearly 74 percent of businesses report they’re bringing employees back to the office.

Khalid writes that, “Goldman Sachs welcomed most of its workers back in June and Citi is planning to reopen its offices in September. Facebook and Apple are looking at plans for at least a partial return in 2021. Google is planning a return to the office for most employees in the second half of 2021, despite reports from employees that productivity increased during last year’s period of remote work.”

 Interestingly, the study also shows that employees who have been with a company more than four years are more likely to want to return to the office, whereas employees who have less tenure prefer to work from home.

Need some ideas about how to ease employees back into the workplace? These four tips should help:

1. Communicate why you are ending remote work.

2. Give employees a lot of advance notice. 

3. Begin by asking people to come in two or three days a week to begin.

4. Make the office fun; a place where people will want to return.

 Jill, What Can I Do?  Adhere to these tips and be on the lookout for my second book, which will be available in September.  It dissects the future of remote work and employee’s needs, and offers ideas to create an environment that people love and can’t imagine leaving.  Loyal blog readers will receive a fantastic book launch offer, as my way of saying, “Thank you,” for being on this journey with me.  Now, start working on your ‘return to work’ plan and don’t forget to take employee’s opinions into consideration.  The last time I looked, dictatorships don’t fuel employee engagement.