Getting back to the office after months of all-remote work One 2021 industry survey found that almost 40% of employees would consider quitting if they had to come back to the office full time. Apple, a tech company notorious for its refusal to allow office employees to work from home, announced that from September 2021 their employees had to work three days a week in the office. However, many Apple employees want even greater flexibility, and would rather come into the office only one or two days a week. The differing desires of employees and varying requirements of departments can lead to a lot of confusion. It’s important to not attempt to just plow through all of this confusion, but to operate with empathy and integrity. Collect feedback from returning employees The first step to getting back to the office should be to talk to employees. Regardless of what the widely published surveys say, what do your employees want? You could send out a simple questionnaire to everyone in the office, and hold a focus group, with plenty of representatives from different departments. Here are some questions that you might want to ask: 1. If given the choice, how many days per week would you prefer to work in the office? 2. Do you have any concerns about returning to the office? 3. How can we better support your return to the office? 4. How can we better support your remote working days? 5. Do you feel comfortable with team-building activities and company events? Refusing to listen to your employees could result in a negative backlash, including a high employee turnover and a disintegrated company culture. “A portion of the planning will involve getting my employees' take on what they want and need in the office. Surveys will be sent to get a feel of what needs to be done. Whatever I decide, the important thing is to disseminate the information to all employees a week before we return! This will ensure that things stay organized even during the transition.” Rachel Klaver, Co-founder of Identify Marketing Focus on your company’s big vision Your company’s vision should help guide you as you bring people back to the office. Rose Gailey, a return- to-work and organizational culture expert told Business Insider that the past 18 to 24 months “have highlighted the idea that culture is not about the place you work — it's about the spirit of an organization." Don’t sacrifice your company culture in the push to get everyone working from one place again. Make sure to examine company values, and consider how you could work these into any policy decisions. If the nature of your products or services does greatly benefit in-office work, use this to your advantage. Remind returning employees of what you do for customers, why that matters, and why your customers need you. 5 gett.com 5 gett.com