Companies are facing an uphill battle as they try to force employees to return to the physical office, after many workers got used to it and have become accustomed to preferring to improve work-life balance than their own. allows you to have remote work.
Some workers, especially those whose work can also be done — or even more efficiently — from home, do not want to return to the physical workplace, especially because COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in 13 US states
“Companies are trying to answer the question, ‘How can I convince people that office work adds value that you wouldn’t have when working remotely?'” Said Ben Friedrich, a professor of strategy at Kellogg School. of Management at Northwestern University.
So how do companies persuade workers to return to the office?
Pet stipends for pandemic puppies
A number of companies offer workers pet scholarships, a monthly sum that they can spend on walking dogs, caring for pets, or some other form of daycare for their pets, with whom they have become accustomed to spending whole days working. home during the pandemic.
Jeanniey Walden, a human resources expert and director of innovation at DailyPay, a pay-per-view payment platform, said pet stipends are popular, especially given the large number of new pet owners.
“People bought pets when they were in quarantine, and it’s hard if you just spent two years with your puppy moving from being with them 24 hours a day to leaving them alone for eight hours when you’re in the office.” , Walden told CBS MoneyWatch. .
DailyPay is one of the employers planning to offer workers a pet stipend. “It will be a fixed amount each month that you can spend as you wish. You can hire a dog or cat walker to come to your home or take your pet to daycare,” he said.
More companies with job postings in the Adzuna workplace, including Google, Purina, and digital media company Refinery 29, describe their offices as “dogs allowed,” according to Adzuna’s director of marketing, Paul Lewis.
In all, 1,300 job listings across the site describe offices where workers can take their puppies.
“Big brands are trying to get you to the office, they make sure you can take your loved one with you, because buying pets during the pandemic has increased tremendously,” Lewis told CBS MoneyWatch.
Paternity leave
Nearly 400 employers who advertise open roles with Adzuna offer paid free time to new pet parents, an advantage called “paternity leave.”
“We’ve seen several companies introduce this as a new benefit,” Lewis said. “That way, when you get a new pet, you can relate to it and make sure it’s okay before you finally have to take it to the office.”
Four-day workweeks
Some companies are even starting to experiment with real four-day workweeks, so employees are more inclined to spend at least a couple of days a week in the office.
“While it’s not common in the U.S., some companies are starting to experiment with this, so maybe people are more willing to go into the office some days, if they have more flexibility to do what they want the other days,” said Professor Friedrich. .
Crowdfunding company Kickstarter is among the employers driving a truncated work week.
Technology companies were ahead of the curve in adopting remote work. But when other industries moved away during the pandemic, remote work became the norm, not a labor advantage.
“One of the big reasons we see companies being attracted to the introduction of four-day work weeks is because in many sectors remote work had become a minimum expectation,” said Joe O’Connor , CEO of 4 Day Global Week, a non-profit organization that helps businesses run weekly four-day pilot programs.
“It’s no longer a competitive advantage when everyone else does, and they’re looking for new things that give them an edge,” O’Connor said.
Free lunch
These days, there is a free lunch – another benefit that companies offer workers commuting to their physical jobs. In addition to serviced meals, some businesses also offer free drinks and cappuccino.
A Kellogg department has introduced free lunches for employees twice a week, Professor Friedrich said.
“They introduced a free lunch to help coordinate teachers entering the office and there are positive consequences such as discussing new ideas, comments and teaching that happens randomly as part of an informal conversation. people realize what they are missing out on, ”he said.
“Companies are doing everything they can think of to make the office more fun and social,” Walden said. “Many companies offer yoga and meditation during the day to help with the change in mindset that comes from going from home to work.”
But at the end of the day, “it has to be more than free beer,” Friedrich said.
Peter Schnall, an epidemiologist and founder of Unhealthy Work, which examines how work environments affect people’s health and well-being, said happy corporate hours are a bad idea anyway, as we are still in the midst of the pandemic.
“Obviously, they want people to go back to the office, but in the conditions of the epidemic waves, it’s just premature,” he said, adding, “Unless you care if employees get laid. “Sick or not, or believe me. If they get sick, they won’t die because they’re younger, but they forget to pass it on to other people.”
Schnall claims that forcing workers to return to office part-time will not achieve the goal of better collaboration or better morale, anyway.
“The notion of people coming into the office one day a week, what’s the argument for that? You’re going to develop companionship because now people go to work because they’re forced to, even though they don’t want to. And now they’re worried about getting infected? I don’t think so, “he said.
“Leaving the tie”
Formal clothing was already losing favor with the working class, with workers for the past decade shifting away from restrictive office equipment such as ties and high heels, opting for crisp shirts and flat shoes. The pandemic accelerated the rise of casual wear at work, allowing employees out of sight of their bosses to do their job in sweatpants and sports bras all day long.
To help ease the transition back to work, a number of employers are relaxing their dress codes, according to HR experts.
“People lost their dress code completely at home and some companies are trying to accept that,” Friedrich said. “Some people may appreciate that they can wear their beautiful clothes again, but they have also become accustomed to being less formal, so companies are definitely leaving the tie.”
What do workers really want?
But what workers really want is flexibility.
“I can’t think of any benefit that works more than giving employees the flexibility to choose when they’re in the office and when they’re not,” said Jaemi Taylor, a human resources executive at Allegis Partners, a global recruitment company. . “Even cash no longer works. People have adjusted their lifestyles and how their family dynamics work and are unwilling to give up ‘that flexibility to go back to the office.’
Taylor calls advantages such as local barbers and chefs as “tricks of the past.” “They’re not desirable,” he said. “It’s all a matter of time and choice now.”
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