Are We Ready for the Great Migration Back to the Workplace?

It’s been well over a year since many organizations sent their employees home to protect them from Covid-19. What was expected to last just a few short months has lasted much longer.

Although health organizations around the world are doing their best to get a handle on things with the roll-out of massive numbers of vaccinations, it still looks like it could be a while before some employees return to their former onsite jobs. 

This is the reality for many companies: their employees have settled into working remotely in the effort to remain healthy. But, when the pandemic is behind us globally, will employers ask their remote workers to come back to the physical office or will they provide employees with the option to remain remote?

If so, what kind of resistance should they expect from employees? Around one-third of employees working from home said they would seek other employment if their current employer required them to return to the office full-time, advises Robert Half.  

Thymometrics remote work survey 

During the first half of May 2021, Thymometrics conducted an online survey to find out what the general consensus is concerning remote work. We wanted to test the temperature to find out what employers are planning for the rest of the year. 

We asked, “What are your company's plans for employees remote working versus returning to the office in 2021?” 

Out of the 121 respondents, representing global organizational leaders and human resource professionals, these were the results:

 -- 66% said they would promote hybrid remote/office teams

 -- 17% said they would allow employees to continue remote working

 -- 12% said they would give employees the choice

 -- 4% said they planned to require everyone to return to the office

These results demonstrate that the workplace has indeed been changed to more of an employee-focused approach.

While the pandemic is to blame for the most recent changes in organizations, the gig economy was already emerging as the preferred way for many -- including the choice of where and when to work. It’s good to see that company leaders recognize the importance of offering alternative work arrangements.

David Godden, Head of Marketing at Thymometrics, comments: "The findings from our focussed poll certainly reflects the conversations we're having with our customers. Many companies have 'dabbled' with remote working options in the past, but the pandemic has forced this to become a reality sooner than many intended."

David continues, "Now we've all got used to Zoom meetings and our home office, coupled with children back at school, there's hard evidence to prove that a hybrid of office / home working can work, as long as it is properly managed with staff involvement ... this may be the new norm for many." 

Are things headed back to “normal”?

It appears most workplaces anticipate being able to resume some form of normal operations. According to Gartner, half of the 258 HR leaders surveyed said they expect their workplaces to re-open by the third quarter of 2021, and one-in-four said this would likely happen by the end of 2021. However, many employees are keen on making long commutes a thing of the past. 

Keep in mind, however, that some employees still function better and prefer working in a brick and mortar location. They thrive in work environments surrounded by people and it’s been very difficult for them to adjust their lives and careers to remote work. Buffer’s 2021 State of Remote Work survey indicated 27% of remote employees struggle with not being able to unplug from work tasks and 16% struggle with loneliness.  

A review of several major job boards reveals opportunities advertised as “remote” or “remote for now”. Employers are committed to retaining their current remote employees but are recruiting new employees to work “remotely with some travel.”

Still other companies are just bringing people on board for projects through temporary placement agencies, until things stablilize more. Upon asking a few hiring managers if they plan to require their remote workers to start working from the company offices, most say they will honor the remote arrangements long term.             

How can companies ensure they are offering the best possible work arrangements and maintaining employee engagement? 

The worldwide pandemic has changed the face of every aspect of human life, including the work experiences of billions. This is something that will have a long-term impact on how people work and what they choose for their own work environments.

However, some things remain the same from a business standpoint. Employee engagement and building strong teams are still important aspects of business success. 

Organizational leaders can take time to evaluate their current work arrangements and determine what is the best fit for each type of role. They must look at the last two years as an example of what can be accomplished by a remote workforce, as it has been a powerful lesson. 

Employers can also use tools like the Thymometrics real-time employee engagement platform to monitor the process of modifying work arrangements as it happens. This provides added insight about how they can make things better and maintain a positive experience for employees in the midst of change. The rich data this offers has a great impact on the business and employees. 

Don't rely on employee turnover rates to predict success with change. Thymometrics is a much more positive and proactive approach because you can save your employees BEFORE they leave. You can hear directly from employees in a safe space what they are going through to manage change more effectively. This is invaluable given it can be difficult to engage with remote employees. Having an anonymous channel to get employee feedback is great an advantage. 

It may be a while before employees start making their migration back to the office, or in this case to some form of hybrid/remote work arrangements. Now is the time to get a plan developed that meets the needs of employees. Be creative, flexible, and allow employees to have a voice about how and where they want to work. 

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Thymometrics provides tools that greatly improves the communication between employees and their managers so you can immediately hear people's views, learn what's important to them and take appropriate actions. Our solutions provide managers with simple yet comprehensive insights to improve culture, productivity and profitability.

For more information, please call 01223 750251, email hello@thymometrics.com or visit thymometrics.com.

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