As some companies enforce a return to office (RTO) mandate, people are asking, “What are we actually going back to?”
For many companies, the RTO signals a desire to strengthen team culture, while for others it means a loss of flexibility and the newfound frustration of trying to figure out what work looks like when some people are in the office, some are at home, and everyone is trying to stay connected.
The data makes one thing pretty clear: people may be returning to a shared office space, but hybrid work isn’t going anywhere.
According to Gallup’s latest data, 52% of U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs work in a hybrid arrangement, while another 26% work exclusively remotely. Those numbers have remained remarkably steady over the past few years.
So if your team is still trying to figure out what “back to work” means, you’re not alone.
What if we stopped focusing on where people work?
Gallup found that 76% of hybrid employees cite improved work-life balance as a major advantage of hybrid work, while 64% appreciate using their time more efficiently and 61% report less burnout or fatigue.
Those are some pretty compelling reasons to keep the flexibility. But hybrid work has a flip side: employees also report feeling less connected to company culture, experiencing decreased collaboration and having weaker connections with coworkers.
The top benefit of being on-site for hybrid workers is spending time with people in person to build relationships. Other highly valued experiences include conversations with managers, collaboration, and, yes, having fun with fellow employees. That’s the opportunity!
The office doesn’t need to be the destination. Connection does.
A successful workplace is created when people know each other. When they feel appreciated and have opportunities to collaborate, laugh, learn and celebrate together.
So if your organization is planning an RTO (or recently made the change), don’t make the mistake of assuming proximity automatically creates connection. Instead, think intentionally about the experience you want people to have:
- Make time for connection. ⛓️
Not every gathering needs an agenda, a presentation or a productivity goal. Sometimes the best thing a team can do is simply get to know one another.
- Make recognition part of the everyday. 🌟
Make appreciation visible so employees can see the people and contributions that make the organization stronger.
- Make in-person time meaningful. ⏳
If employees are coming into the office just to spend eight hours on Zoom calls, they’re going to wonder why they bothered. Use shared time for the things humans do especially well together: collaborating, brainstorming, solving problems, and building relationships.
- Don’t forget the fun. 😎
Yes, fun belongs at work. In fact, Gallup found that 41% of hybrid employees identify having fun with fellow employees as an important benefit of working on-site. A little play can create space for people to connect in ways that another status meeting never will.
- Let teams have a voice. 📣
Interestingly, Gallup found that only 11% of employees say their hybrid work policy is determined by their team together. Yet employees whose teams help determine the policy are more likely to say it has a positive impact on collaboration and is fair.
We’ve learned that people can work from almost anywhere and flexibility matters. We’ve also learned that technology can’t completely replace the feeling of being part of a team. So whether your workplace is remote or in-person, what’s most important is creating a space where people can do their best work and feel like they belong. Good luck!
