We had a rough few years. The COVID-19 pandemic presented the entire world with challenges for which it was not ready. Many of us became ill, we lost loved ones, we shut down and were forced to isolate at home.
Speaking strictly from a business standpoint, it could have been worse. Many businesses managed to stay afloat thanks to the technological advancements from the past 30 years. The technology that defined the pandemic most were such video conferencing platforms as Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, which allowed us to conduct business safely from our homes while keeping in touch with co-workers and clients alike. Imagine if the pandemic had come in the 1990s before the internet became such an integral part of our lives, or even just a little over a decade ago before iPhone FaceTime provided the blueprint for these now-invaluable video conferencing platforms.
Yes, things could have been worse. More businesses would have shuttered and the world would probably still be digging itself out of an economic catastrophe. Luckily, our technology was up to the challenge of the moment.
Still, the pandemic might have changed the way we conduct business for good. Many workers have yet to return to the office. Will they ever?
Business Insider recently released a list of major companies that are mandating their employees come back to the office. They include F&B service Starbucks; tech retailer Amazon; tech companies Apple, Meta, Salesforce and Twitter; and financial institutions Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase.
CEOs gave a variety of reasons for the mandates – from increase in productivity when workers are all in the same workspace, to restoring in-person collaborations. Meta no longer offers remote work when it lists new jobs. Other companies have begun tracking attendance or are threatening to fire those who refuse to comply.
Most of the companies listed by Business Insider were not pushing for full-time returns, instead asking that employees come back part-time at four, three and even just two days per week.
Still, many workers have balked at the idea. Amazon and Apple employees were among those issuing petitions in protest against the mandates. The workers argue that their production has not fallen off while working remotely.
A Fortune article pointed to a recent report by SHRM that supports that claim, with 94 percent of employers finding that productivity from their employees was equal to or better when they worked from home vs. the office. The lack of a commute and a more flexible schedule might have contributed to their bump in productivity.
The same Fortune article predicts that 2023 will see a slight increase in remote hybrid work as only 3% of American CEOs had plans to decrease remote work. Their approach appears to be the opposite of the executives from the companies listed in the Business Insider article.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
I understand employees’ hesitance in returning to the old 9-to-5 grind in the office, especially if it is true that their work does not suffer while working from home. But I am also a believer in a strong workplace culture, which is best established in person.
I suspect a compromise will be established, and most companies will allow for a hybrid of remote/in-office work.
Workplace Culture vs. Flexible Schedules: When Will Workers Return to the Office?
