Should Your Professional Team Work in the Office?

Employees have heard the rumblings over the past 18 months. Now that the COVID-​19 pandemic is well behind us, the bosses want their team members back in their office chairs. They believe that their professional team will have a better chance of success if they work together in person.

The Challenge of Remote Work

Benjamin Laker confirms that remote work was very promising in the beginning. It gave more flexibility to people with terrible commutes. It was also helpful to people who needed the ability to take care of family members.

Over time, the boundaries between work and family time began to blur. Laker points out that “lack of separation between work and personal life can lead to burnout.”

The other issue is isolation. When professional team members feel isolated, they may lose their drive. One symptom of this problem is feeling tired of video calls. Our data shows that 18% of senior business decision-​makers have experienced Zoom fatigue in the past year.

Remote work remains a challenge for leaders who want to nurture a strong office culture. Managers may also miss the fact that some remote employees are floundering. The cues that may come across in person don’t always translate well through a video call.

Return-​to-​Office Turmoil

Rachel Wells, in a Forbes post, notes that a significant number of employers plan to enforce their back-​to-​the-​office policies. Some employees will likely be able to negotiate a continued remote-​work agreement.

Being Overlooked

But they will encounter the same issues that surfaced before the pandemic. Without a sufficient in-​office presence, they may be overlooked for promotions or great assignments. They may also fall victim to their boss’s tendency to micromanage.

Employee Resistance

Employees will also resent the in-​office mandate and find ways to rebel. In some case, they’ll resort to coffee-badging.

They will swipe in to grab coffee at the office cafeteria to prove they were present. Then, they’ll leave as soon as possible.

What drives the resistance and resentment about the return to office mandate? Some employees will see the removal of a huge benefit. This will be especially true for employees who were hired during the pandemic and told they could work from anywhere.

In some cases, employees believe the return to office mandate is a strategy to lower headcount. If enough employees quit, the company won’t need to do a layoff.

Team Productivity

While the debate about work location rages on, supervisors must still focus on their professional team’s productivity. To do that, you could follow the advice of Tony Jamous.

You can measure what matters instead of tracking where an employee is working and how many hours they put in. Give your people assignments, measurable goals and agree to strict deadlines.

When designing the new work assignments, refer to your employees’ psychometric assessments. With that information, you’ll understand each team member’s motivations and their work behaviors.

This management style may require more work at first. Instead of monitoring time spent, you will have to follow up, review work and decide if the quality meets standards. This additional quality time spent with employees can ultimately increase productivity and loyalty.

New Employees and Work Location

New employees, especially, benefit from the in-​office experience. In these settings, they form closer relationships with their co-​workers and become part of the culture. They also have the opportunity to make their own mark on the culture.

By working closely with other team members, they also absorb details such as ways to be productive. In isolation, these strategies may not be obvious to them.

Summary

Employees argue that they can do their jobs from a remote location. While that assertion is true, corporate leaders rely on them for more than task completion. Professional team members also need to collaborate with other employees and help develop the culture.

The debate about work location is likely to continue as business leaders grapple with how to manage their professional team.

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