Why bosses forcing workers to return to the office is a mistake—and what to do instead

Donald Knight

Word count: 882

Remote work isn’t just a hangover from 2020. For many employees, it’s become the new standard—a recent survey found that over half (51%) of respondents would not apply to a job if remote or hybrid working was not an option.

This is because flexible working has opened up a world of possibilities for people who, because of remote work, now have the opportunity to work jobs they may otherwise not have had access to. People with disabilities, workers with caregiving responsibilities and others who need flexibility to maintain their daily lives hugely benefit from remote work.

Yet, despite the many benefits that remote work offers, many organizations are enforcing return-to-office (RTO) policies that require their employees to commute to a physical office. This creates unnecessary barriers for folks who often rely on the flexibility remote work provides them.

What’s the rationale behind this return-to-office decree? Old school leaders who are eager to bring back in-person work think an office environment boosts productivity, and believe remote work kills collaboration and connection.

But that couldn’t be farther from the truth—a study by Great Place To Work, which included more than 800,000 employees at Fortune 500 companies, found that most people reported the same, or even higher productivity levels while working from home.

And there are a myriad of ways to foster a sense of connection, community, and collaboration in a virtual workplace — the idea that you need an exclusively in-office workforce is not only wrong, it’s harmful to a company’s fabric of diversity and, ultimately, its bottom line.

RTO is Harmful and Unnecessary

Remote work is intertwined with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives because it removes traditional barriers to the workplace, whether geographical, technological or otherwise.

For neurodivergent people, remote work provides an opportunity to work in a familiar, comfortable space, and limits distractions so they can more easily focus on their work. For people with physical disabilities, working from home means they don’t need to commute to an office—something that may or may not be feasible with a physical disability. For caregivers, who are disproportionately women, remote work allows for a better work-life balance amidst the emotional and physical tolls of providing care for loved ones.

Because of the inclusivity that remote work offers, rolling back on flexible working conditions is harmful to a company’s fabric of diversity. And the worst part is, not only is a rigid return-to-office policy the opposite of inclusive—it’s also completely unnecessary.

Remote, Not Removed; How to Foster Connection in Distributed Work Environments

In today’s world, you no longer have to be in the same room as your colleagues to engage in productive and meaningful conversations.

At Greenhouse, we have a completely distributed workforce, meaning our employees aren’t bound to a physical office space. But that doesn’t stop us from having a collaborative, welcoming culture. We foster this sense of belonging and community in many ways. For starters, we have a designated “distributed culture committee,” which is made up of employees from different teams and locations around the world.

We ask members of the culture committee to plan ways to forge connections and community through one-off or ongoing initiatives, like our quarterly virtual volunteer GreenhouseGives event with Per Scholas, or our story slam we call “The Leaf” (inspired by The Moth) giving Greenhouse people a chance to share and listen to each others’ stories. We also hold in-person activations, like our “Gather @” series, where we invest in bringing people physically together to help foster culture and connection.

We also have a Slack channel for consistent, visible shout-outs to team members. This is a space where employees from all locations can join in the fun, celebrate their coworkers’ accomplishments, and foster a sense of connection with each other online.

Remote work also doesn’t mean that in-person meet-ups are off the table. At Greenhouse, we host several in-person events throughout the year, allowing employees to meet with their co-workers in person, in a relaxed social setting.

With a little effort and purposeful planning, companies can foster a welcoming, inclusive online work environment for their employees and meet them where they are, no matter where that is. And by offering flexibility, companies are more likely to attract and retain top talent.

Why Flexibility Attracts Top Talent

By offering flexible working, companies gain an advantage in the talent market. According to a recent survey, 42% of candidates will not apply for a role if it doesn’t offer their preferred working model, which to a majority of candidates (52%) is either a hybrid or fully remote model.

While the talent market has certainly cooled from its red-hot pandemic days, candidates still aren’t willing to settle if a role doesn’t suit their needs. According to hiring data from Greenhouse, more than 80,000 candidates rejected a job offer in October 2023, which was nearly 10% of all offers extended that month through the Greenhouse hiring platform.

Flexible work not only enhances a company’s competitiveness in the talent market, it also cultivates a workplace culture that prioritizes employee well-being and satisfaction. This contributes to increased productivity and overall organizational success — and companies that fail to get on board with flexibility will be left behind.

Donald Knight Bio:

Donald Knight is the Chief People Officer at Greenhouse, the hiring software for people-first companies. He leads with a people-first mentality, providing strategy to nurture culture, foster growth and unlock the potential of Greenhouse talent globally. Prior to Greenhouse, he worked as the Senior Vice President of Global Talent at Edelman.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91017908/why-bosses-forcing-workers-to-return-to-the-office-is-a-mistake-and-what-to-do-instead?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss