Many businesses have struggled with the return to work; some companies such as Apple have even rolled back plans after one-size-fits-all approaches failed to produce the desired results.
So how can leaders encourage employees to value face-to-face time? According to the findings in Microsoft’s recent research “Hybrid work is just work. Do We Have It Wrong? “, people seek each other out in order to rekindle the social interaction they have missed.
In other words, reestablishing social capital can be a potent motivator for employees to return to the workplace.
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People desire flexibility and autonomy
Based on Microsoft research, while getting employees back to the office in person is a worry for 82% of company decision-makers in the upcoming year, the reality is that individuals today want flexibility and autonomy regarding how, when, and where they work.
The policy cannot change this situation on its own: 78% of business decision-makers and 73% of employees agree that there must be more to return to the office than simply meeting company requirements.
Companies risk missing out on attracting and retaining top talent if they don’t use the in-person time to repair and deepen team ties.
Motivation Key: Connecting with colleagues
Connecting with colleagues is a key motivation for working in person.
84% of employees would be driven by the possibility of interacting with co-workers, while 85% would be motivated by mending team relationships. Additionally, workers say they would visit the office more regularly if they knew their immediate team members or coworkers would be there (73% or 74%, respectively).
Younger generations are particularly eager to connect with senior leadership and their direct managers in person in order to establish themselves as members of their workplace community and feel more connected to their coworkers.
Rebuild social capital
Employees’ desire to rekindle their relationships with coworkers fits in well with the organization’s strong need to repair social capital. According to 68% of business decision-makers, the transition to hybrid work has made it more difficult to maintain social relationships and team cohesion.
Based on the research, nearly half of employees report feeling alienated from their firm as a whole, and their relationships outside of their specific work group have worsened as a result of this.
Never miss out on authenticity and technology
Technology is essential for fostering connectivity among people no matter where, when, or how they work. For example, systems like Microsoft Viva and ONES can help staff to have more connections with each other, work more closely, and easier to manage their office equipment.
Additionally, good communication is one of the most important abilities that corporate decision-makers (96%) and employees (95%) say they will need in the upcoming year in order to keep everyone informed and engaged.
Also, communication must be sincere rather than only informed. Employees rank authenticity as the most critical trait a manager can possess in order to help them perform their best work (85%), and 83% of corporate decision-makers agree that senior leadership must act truthfully.
Suggestions from Microsoft
Microsoft has suggested some actions for decision-makers to encourage work-from-home policy and retain talents:
- Use in-person time to help employees rebuild team bonds and networks.
- Build a digital employee experience to help employees stay connected to each other, to leadership, and to the company culture no matter where they’re working.
- Create a digital community with modern communication tools to fuel conversation, empower people to express themselves, and connect leadership and employees.
If you would like to learn more about how to implement a hybrid working with ONES, feel free to contact us: hello@ones.software, or visit ONES Software’s official website for more information: https://ones.software/.