WITH Covid-19 restrictions easing, many companies are calling for employees to return to office work.
But employees are not keen on that after realising that remote working was possible and more convenient for them.
Signs marking the end of remote working or by rotation have had workers considering quitting their jobs rather than listening to the demands of returning to the nine-to-five in the traditional office setting.
“People need to give a reason for workers to come back to the office. They want so much more,” explained Linda Trim, Sales & Marketing Director of Giant Leap consultancy.
“They want to know if they're going to leave their home, their office has to be better than what they get at home, and most of it is down to ergonomics.”
Research suggests that since the pandemic, evidence of a global trend in workplace resignations has increased largely, and the trend is very evident in South Africa as well.
Some of the reasons for workers quitting include experiencing severe burnout on the job; long working hours (even over weekends) with no pay increase; toxic workplace culture and less opportunities to take leave.
“A lot of companies are realising that they cannot keep people at home, but they struggle with fixing or creating alternative solutions that will not only encourage a return, but also foster a better working dynamic amongst themselves,” Trim said.
Trim also pointed out that another reason for the pushback by employees is over the amount of freedom they’ve found while working remotely.
“Workers have found themselves having more time at home to do things that they found they couldn’t.
“At the same time, working remotely has removed a boundary of sorts because many have found themselves waking up and heading straight to their laptops; or answering emails late at night, rather than preparing for the day which would include the commute to and from work.”
Workplace consultancy firms like Giant Leap have seen that companies using return-to-office mandates were using them in a sense to regain the control over employees they may have lost with hybrid working systems.
However, forcing their return may not be the answer, as some are merely waiting for workplace culture to be re-evaluated and improved to decrease tensions and help create a better balanced work-life situation.
“Some companies are forcing employees back now that they are in a sense becoming more powerful with working from their own spaces, but feel that humans can’t be given too much freedom.
“It is much like a child asking for more sweets when they’ve already had their share and know that too much sweets isn’t good for them, but they,” Trim added.
In an effort to entice workers to return to the office, some companies have looked at changing the physical workplace environment; while others have tried to change workplace dynamics or use monetary benefits to bring everyone back to the boardroom.
“If they're going to leave their home, it has to be better than what they get at home, and most of it is ergonomics. A place to move around and work in, with acoustics and advanced technology they may not have at home but will give them a good experience.
“We need companies to help employees shift their mindsets from viewing their place of work as just a job and focus more on what the function of their job is. Focusing on that can help to understand what is needed in that environment to push productivity.”
Workplace intelligence company Know More added that businesses need not to be prioritising their floor plans and spatial design, but rather the people who fill the spaces and how best these companies can enhance their productivity levels.
“If companies can look to improve or create a sense of a respected community within the office, they could see a higher output of productivity because that in essence is the DNA of any company,” the company said.
Sunday Independent