Working From Home

 

With Companies Returning to the Office, Many Employees Continue Working From Home

The COVID rate has been falling. Numerous firms have refurbished their offices, and, in many cases, set new deadlines for people to come back. As of last week, only 43.1 percent of employees are working at their pre-pandemic offices, according to office key-swipe data compiled by Kastle Systems across 10 major metropolitan areas. That’s the highest level since the pandemic began more than two years ago, but barely above the 40.5 percent level of a month ago. “Leadership and professional development, sees it, as the longer people work outside the office full-time, the more difficult it will be to get them to embrace returning full-time,

“It isn’t, wait another six months and it’ll normalize.”

Texas has seen the highest rate of employees returning—which isn’t to say that offices there could be described as packed. As of last week, the Austin area was at 63 percent of its usual occupancy, up from 52.9 percent a month earlier. The Houston and Dallas metro areas were at 55.5 percent and 50.9 percent, respectively. Both areas were slightly below 50 percent a month ago. On the other side of the spectrum, only about one-third of San Jose-area employees were back in offices. Occupancy was at less than 40 percent

Some senior leadership teams haven’t seen one another in two years and want to resume face-to-face meetings, Many don’t want to go back full-time, and companies fear workers might revolt if they aren’t offered some sort of accommodation. Even some high-profile corporate leaders who have been adamant about bringing everyone back to the office now admit they’ll need to make room for at least some employees to work remotely some of the time. “Employers have to show why the return to the office is beneficial to both the employee and the firm,” 

To some degree, companies have been launching various back-to-office efforts for more than a year. COVID resurgences have stalled many plans, but experts say organizations haven’t created a compelling reason for people to return, according to the Korn Ferry report. Some suggest, for example, that firms could require team meetings or trainings to take place in person at the office. That could give a sense of schedule stability not only to team members but also to anyone outside the organization who works with them.

Tips for Managing a Hybrid Work Week

If employees are working in more than one location, they will need to be organized in terms of the work they do, who they want to connect with, and how they will keep track of information

Here are some tips:

Be deliberate about the work you do at each location.

Some tasks, like writing or strategy development, are better suited to quiet time at home, while brainstorming and team meetings are more successful when everyone is in the same room. “Let the task determine whether it should be completed in the office or at home,” said Mr. Ackermann. “Are you working on a deliverable, or are you collaborating on a project with your team? That should drive whether you work on it remotely or in person.”

Establish one day for the whole team to come into the office.

A hybrid schedule can feel random. “You don’t know who will be at the office until you get there,” Mr. Ackermann said. “To maximize collaborative time, teams should decide together which day of the week to work in the office. On that day, schedule a team meeting, brainstorming sessions, and other collaborative work.”

Think about what you’re missing by working remotely.

Plan your days in the office around opportunities for personal development and social activities—both of which can be hard to come by when you’re working from home. “Consider the other meetings that might be happening and whether a lunch or happy hour is planned for the day you come into the office,” 

Use flexibility to your advantage.

“Think about upcoming personal commitments on your weekly schedule—such as a doctor’s appointment or an event at your child’s school—that would be easier to manage if you skipped your commute into work,” said Mr. Royal. “If you have a recurring appointment or volunteer obligation, plan your work-from-home days around that event.”

Move files online.

“If you’re working from both home and office, consider using your laptop for note-taking to minimize the amount of paper you need to carry,” Collaboration documents should live on an internal network, not your personal laptop. If it’s online, then it doesn’t matter where you work.”

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