preloader

Summit Team Building

Return to Office Mandate. The Missing Ingredient.

If you work for the federal government, you’ll know that January 16, 2023 is when their return to office mandate came into effect.  A…notable, I suppose, day for you. You may be having various emotions associated with this day, and I’d venture to suggest that many of these could be related to frustration.

If you don’t work for the federal government and have no idea what I’m talking about, January 16 is the day that federal public servants began mandatorily returning to office buildings for at least 2-3 days a week. Many – understandably – are not happy about this.

Although we’re just about one month into the new year at this point, returning to the office is shaping up to be one of the most important workplace trends of 2023. With crowds of major companies, including Goldman Sachs, Starbucks, Uber, Disney, Google, JP Morgan, and yes – Twitter – more firmly mandating return to office policies beginning this year, this will likely continue to be a recurring issue this year.

Returning to the Office: Why the Controversy?!?!

Now, you’ll likely have one of two responses to this issue. I mean, you may not even think that it should be an issue to begin with. If you’re a mid-level or senior leader who is pushing for returning to the office because you’re longing to get back to the world before the pandemic, or you just prefer a full, buzzing office, you’re not alone. Why would you not return to the office? Shouldn’t it be a no brainer?

Even if you’re in that camp, though, you’ve likely noticed a good amount of pushback in your organization, and for that, you’re also not alone. The federal government is facing opposition from unions fighting back against the return to office policies. On the corporate end, GM, Amazon, and Apple all faced so much internal opposition that it had to walk back on its return to office plans. Employees seem to overwhelmingly prefer working from home.

So what’s the deal with the disconnect here, and what do we do about it?

The problem of conflicting wishes between teams and leaders is so significant that Bryan Robinson of Forbes calls this “The Great Mismatch” of 2023. Like many aspects of our lives in this decade, there’s a ton of polarization on this issue.

If you’re a leader who’s caught in the middle of this, we have some ideas for you.

Understand the Resistance

To motivate people to return to the office, you first need to recognize the source of the resistance. People have invested in their home workspaces, gas and parking are expensive, and some have even moved far from the office.

Ultimately, it’s important to recognize that there’s a significant cost that’s being asked of teams and employees when you tell them to return to the office. Teams are going to want to have a tangible return on investment if they’re going to happily and voluntarily conform to the return-to-office requests.

Enforcing return-to-office policies militantly and without concern for teams’ opinions will devastate employee morale, engagement, and retention. Even if the reasons, such as conflicts and challenges in virtual collaboration, are obvious to you, you need to fully understand and communicate the value of going back to the office.

What Would Motivate Teams to Return to the Office?

Although there are many reasons different organizations would want teams to return to offices, interesting research by Microsoft World Trend Index sheds some light on this issue. They found that more than 80% of the employees they surveyed would be motivated to return to the office to rebuild team bonds and socialize with their coworkers.

So what would motivate employees to return to the office? One word – relationships.


RELATED


Investing In Relationships

As Chris Capossela of HBR eloquently puts it, if we want to get people back in the office, we have to make it social.

This is, however, a bigger challenge than it might sound. In a world where we’re more connected than ever, we are – ironically – fighting a battle of disconnection. The survey I referenced above also tells us that: 

  • Roughly half of the employees they surveyed said that their relationships with colleagues outside of their immediate team have significantly weakened.
  • More than 40% reported feeling disconnected from their company as a whole.
  • Nearly 70% of leaders said that ensuring cohesion and connection with teams has been a significant challenge due to the shift to hybrid work. 

So, it’s critical in 2023 for leaders to begin to prioritize building and rebuilding connections. Getting employees back in the office is more than just getting folks back in their seats – it’s about rebuilding relationships and team bonds.

To do this, Caposela suggests that leaders need to “design experiences that bring people together in new ways”. 

It’s a big task – and we want you to know that we’re here to help. 

Whether that means hosting once-a-quarter in-person team building activities, or planning an offsite team building meeting, we’ve been designing innovative experiences that bring people together for several decades now, and would be happy to speak with you about how we can help. 

Make the most of the precious time that you have together with your team. Contact us today! 

Most Recent Posts

Return to Office Event Ideas: The Power of Gathering

Beyond remembering the importance of gathering, we need to remind ourselves of the purpose of gathering. If we simply brought everyone back to the office just to have them answering emails and remaining in their cubicles all day, I think we can agree that it’d defeat the purpose of bringing everyone back.

Gatherings fulfil our primitive desires to feel like we’re a part of a larger collective. It has a huge positive psychological impact on our well-being and mood. It motivates us and gives us a sense of security. Ultimately, even if we’ve forgotten, being with others is a fundamental human need.

Read More »

Team Building In BC

Looking for places to go and things to do when team building in BC? This list of venues and activities can get you started.

British Columbia is home to some of Canada’s best meeting and recreation areas. From the vibrant city of Vancouver, the charm of Victoria, and the epic scenery of Whistler you can find the right meeting location for any group or event.

Read More »

Motivate Your Team Using These 4 Strategies

Motivation. Just to be transparent with you from the get-go – this is a hard topic to write about. Motivating your team is a key part of every team leader’s job description, yet – if we’re honest – every single one of us struggles with this (unless you’ve been blessed with an amazing team, in which case, you’re probably not here reading this).

There are a myriad of books, articles and resources floating around about motivation. Really, there’s so much that it’s often hard to know exactly where to start and which strategies actually work. If you’re looking for a quick and simple 10-step plan to fix your team’s motivation problem, I’m sorry to say you might be out of luck.

Is that – ironically – demotivating? I’m so sorry – I promise that if you keep reading on, I have an idea that might make a difference.

Read More »

Team Building In Alberta: Calgary, Banff, Canmore, Jasper

Team building in Alberta is guaranteed to be lot’s of fun and outdoors! Alberta is booming and more and more people and businesses are locating there. Alberta is also a popular meeting and conference location for Canadian and international groups. The scenery provided by the Rocky Mountains is unmatched and can create a very special meeting environment. The areas of Calgary, Canmore, Banff and Jasper are the most popular locations for corporate meetings and conferences in Alberta. This area is truly a four-season destination with all you need for a great family holiday, a recreational adventure or a great team meeting or conference.

Read More »

Team Building in Niagara

Thinking about team building in Niagara? The Niagara region in Ontario is comprised of Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and many other great tourist towns. This region is only about an hour from the Toronto Pearson Airport and right next door to the US/Canada border which makes it convenient for Canadian and American meetings and conferences.

Read More »