In the early days of the pandemic, Larry English was inundated with requests from business leaders eager to learn how to successfully pivot their operations to
“I don’t get asked about remote work at all,” says English, who’s the CEO of digital, business and technology consultancy Centric Consulting. “When the economy went south, [leadership] felt like they got some power back, and they could start bringing people back to the office — but they’ve largely left it up to HR to figure out what that means, and they haven’t given thoughtful consideration to what you need to
In addition to being a digital-focused advisory, Centric itself has operated as a fully-remote and distributed business for nearly 25 years. As its leader, English has become a trusted voice in the spaces of remote, hybrid and asynchronous work. (In fact, he wrote a book on it: “Office Optional, How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams.”)
In 2024, nine in 10 companies with office space will return to the office in some capacity, according to a recent report by Resume Builder. The same study found that most organizations plan to track attendance, with 28% threatening termination for those who don’t comply. It’s all adding to the tumult of RTO conversations within the workplace — and English is all too aware of why so many employees are resisting their former cubicles.
“You have these mandates bringing people back to the office, and they spend their day on video calls,” he says. “Employees want to know: What’s the point?”
As employers struggle to answer that question, most offices, by English’s estimation, have settled on a
“Being fully remote or being completely in the office are easier to design and operate than hybrid,” English says. “The people that do it well design for three things: culture, connection and collaboration. You need to have a gathering strategy, a way to make it meaningful for people to be in the office.”
What’s getting in the way of making the office a meaningful place? English walked us through seven all too common workplace blunders — and shared how organizations can course correct to create a shared space and community where employees feel seen and engaged.
What employees hate: Punching the clock
The fix: Flexible arrival and departure times
As an example, English points to commute times, and the challenges that can come with intense rush hours, particularly in big cities. “Simply let employees come in later to avoid that rush hour,” he says, rather than enforcing a stringent 9-to-5 policy. That flexibility can also provide a cushion for working parents or other caregivers juggling drop-off and pick-up schedules for loved ones. “Give them that flexibility. Little things will go a long way.”
What employees hate: A lack of connection
The fix: In-person gatherings — for all employees
“We’re a fully-remote company, but we get the entire team together in the U.S. twice a year, and locally within regions, we still get together [at other times],” he says. “Face-to-face still matters. It energizes people and deepens connections.”
While Centric Consulting doesn’t have any brick-and-mortar offices, they lean into regional pockets where significant portions of their staff exist, and create opportunities to gather for more informal meetings, perhaps holding a business development meeting at the local Panera Bread for lunch, or connecting for coaching sessions to support team development.
The all-hands gatherings, which require travel, are of course a financial investment, English says, but it’s one with a high ROI.
“Yes, it’s really expensive — but we’re not paying for office space,” he says. “You need to build that budget into how you’re handling bringing the team together.”
What employees hate: Inaccessible leadership
The fix: More facetime with the C-suite
What employees hate: Top-down decisions
The fix: Granting department heads decision-making power
“The companies I see do it best are those that push down that decision-making as far as possible,” English says. “Perhaps you let department heads decide what days their teams will be in the office. And create parity with consistent guidelines.”
What employees hate: A casual approach to COVID
The fix: Embracing remote work as a safety measure
“We’ve proven we can operate remotely, which gives us more flexibility,” he says. “Telling everybody to work from home in those instances, it’s not only a huge cost-saver for companies, but it’s something that most people will appreciate.”
That same kind of flexible mindset can be used to boost morale during the holiday season or times of the year when employees are juggling work with school vacations and family time. Closing the office during the holidays, for example, and having a few weeks of all-remote work can give employees extra flexibility (and help them avoid quick-spreading illness).
What employees hate: Skills gaps for young talent
The fix: Nurture young employees with face-to-face time
“It’s harder to train somebody right out of college,” English says. “There’s a lot to absorb that you just can’t absorb over video, just learning to be professional.”
“You almost have to make leadership come in and spend an appropriate amount of time with those [recent graduates],” he says. “But that is a real challenge.”
What employees hate: No chance to give feedback
The fix: Gather feedback — anonymously
But collecting feedback, he warns, is useless if leadership doesn’t plan to respond and act. Report back on major trends, and share an action plan to improve what’s not working with the return-to-office policy as it currently exists.
“Collecting feedback and responding are equally important,” he says.
[…] Read Also: 7 things employees hate about the office — and how to fix them […]