Our AI writing assistant, WriteUp, can assist you in easily writing any text. Click here to experience its capabilities.

Here are the inconvenient truths of return-to-office mandates

View Original View Raw

Summary

As businesses mandate that employees return to the office, the results have been mixed, with employees resisting for various reasons. Productivity metrics are falling short, and it is becoming increasingly evident that employee recognition leads to higher performance than location. Poor management, not location, is the main issue. Quiet quitting is still a problem, and it is costing businesses. Employers need to give employees reasons to return to the office, rather than mandating it, and should focus on creating energy and learning opportunities.

Q&As

Why has the implementation of return-to-office mandates been unsuccessful?
The implementation of return-to-office mandates has been unsuccessful because of the pressures leaders face, from wanting to have people fill their commercial real estate holdings, to fear that organizational cultures are eroding, to productivity falling and a lack of understanding about how to really make hybrid work.

How is productivity currently being measured and how can it be improved?
Productivity is currently being measured by whether someone is showing up to the office, but this won't solve the issue of falling productivity long term. Productivity can be improved by measuring productivity, hiring and retaining people that are productive, and terminating people who aren't.

How does employee recognition lead to higher performance than location?
Employee recognition leads to higher performance than location because there is a direct correlation between employee recognition, increased productivity and decreased absenteeism.

What is the difference between "quiet quitters" and "loud quitters" in the workplace?
"Quiet quitters" are employees who are psychologically disconnected from their employers and do the bare minimum while watching the clock, while "loud quitters" are employees who have had a total breakdown of trust with their employer and actively cause harm by undercutting goals and opposing the business’ leaders.

What steps can employers take to entice employees to return to the office?
Employers can take steps to entice employees to return to the office by researching what they have missed from being in the office environment, giving employees some flexibility about how they get to the office and what they do while there, providing recognition for outcomes created as a result of being in the office, and giving employees reasons to be in the office rather than enforcing attendance rules.

AI Comments

👍 This article offers some great insight into how return-to-office mandates can be approached in a more meaningful way, such as recognizing employee performance and providing reasons for returning to the office.

👎 This article fails to provide any concrete solutions to the return-to-office issue, only offering vague advice that is difficult to implement.

AI Discussion

Me: It talks about the return-to-office mandates that many companies have implemented recently, and the implications of these mandates. It looks at how these mandates are failing in some cases, and the inconvenient truths behind them.

Friend: That's interesting. What are some of the implications of the article?

Me: It highlights how current productivity metrics are falling short, and how the focus should be on measuring productivity and recognizing employees rather than just having them physically present in the office. It also points out that management plays a much larger role in productivity than location does, and that companies should give employees reasons to return to the office rather than rules. Finally, it talks about how quiet quitting is still an issue, and that companies should focus on inspiring and encouraging their employees rather than just mandating attendance.

Action items

Research what employees have missed from being in the office environment and provide them with inspiration, encouragement, and direction from leaders and managers.
Give employees reasons to be in the office, with a little flexibility about how they get to the office and what they do while there.
Re-think what it means to be in the office and create energy and learning opportunities to get people back in the office willingly.

Technical terms

Return-to-Office (RTO): A movement or policy that requires employees to return to the office for a certain number of days per week.
RTO Creep: A gradual increase in the number of days employees are required to return to the office.
Trojan Horse: A strategy in which a company disguises its true intentions in order to achieve a goal.
Hybrid Work: A combination of remote and in-person work.
Productivity Metrics: Measures of how productive an employee is.
Employee Recognition: Acknowledging and rewarding employees for their work.
Psychologically Disconnected: A state in which an employee is not emotionally invested in their job.
Quiet Quitters: Employees who do the bare minimum while watching the clock.
Loud Quitters: Employees who actively cause harm by undercutting goals and opposing the business’ leaders.
Engagement: Involvement and enthusiasm in one's work.
AI: Artificial Intelligence.
Reasons Not Rules: A strategy in which employers provide reasons for employees to return to the office rather than enforcing attendance rules.