By Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
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Abstract: This article examines research on remote and hybrid work to identify more balanced approaches for organizations transitioning employees back to the workplace after the COVID-19 pandemic. A mandatory return-to-office policy may undermine long-term employee engagement, productivity and retention as remote work expectations have changed. Instead, the research suggests implementing thoughtful hybrid strategies with elements of choice, outcome-focused performance management, technology to enable collaboration, and empowered managers. The article outlines principles for crafting sustainable hybrid policies and practices organizations can use to operationalize new approaches, such as piloting models, training managers in remote leadership, redesigning office spaces, and maintaining feedback loops. By grounding return-to-work policies in empirical evidence and continuous improvement, companies can optimize performance in the new hybrid work landscape.
As the COVID-19 pandemic gradually begins to recede in many areas, organizations across industries are making plans for their employees to return to in-person work. However, a "return to normal" five-days-a-week mandatory office policy may be short-sighted and could undermine long-term employee engagement, productivity, and talent retention. While face-to-face collaboration has many benefits, research indicates that a one-size-fits-all mandate ignores important lessons learned during widespread remote work.
Today we will examine the research on remote and hybrid work to identify more empathetic, future-focused approaches to returning employees to the office.
Conceptualizing Work in a Post-Pandemic World
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted long-held assumptions about where and how work gets done. Unexpectedly, remote work succeeded on a massive scale, challenging beliefs that in-person interaction was always necessary (Arntz et al., 2020). Researchers have found that many employees were just as, if not more, productive working from home compared to before the pandemic (Bartik et al., 2020). This unexpected success has significant impacts:
Remote Work is Here to Stay: Given the success of remote work during the pandemic, many workers now expect some form of ongoing flexibility even after offices fully reopen (Ayalon and Toch, 2020). More than 70% of employees want at least a hybrid schedule in a post-pandemic world (McKinsey & Company, 2021). A mandatory return policy could undermine these new expectations and damage engagement.
The Competition for Talent is Fierce: As remote work becomes mainstream, organizations that refuse to embrace flexibility risk losing top talent to more adaptive competitors (Dionne, 2021). Younger generations highly value work-life balance and many will choose employers offering remote or hybrid options over those with mandatory office policies (PwC, 2021).
Productivity is about Outcomes, Not Butts-in-Seats: Remote work demonstrated that counting face time is ineffective for measuring productivity. Leaders must shift focus to outcomes like deliverables, value creation, and customer/client satisfaction rather than where work happens (Erickson, 2021). Managing by results rather than presence fosters higher performance.
These shifts indicate that mandatory return policies could soon become anachronisms at odds with new workforce demands and realities. A more strategic, empirically-grounded approach is needed to thoughtfully transition to hybrid work models.
Moving Beyond Mandates: Research-Informed Hybrid Strategies
While face-to-face interaction has benefits, a "return to normal" approach ignores valuable lessons learned. Research reveals principles for crafting sustainable, future-focused hybrid policies that empower employees:
Start With Empathy and Choice: Acknowledge the challenges of remote work and recognize workers' new flexibility expectations (Gurstein and Vitak, 2021). Granting choice reduces resistance and increases retention compared to mandatory approaches (Harper, 2020). Allowing remote work accommodates individual circumstances like caring for family or health concerns.
Promote Collaboration Through Scheduling, Not Mandates: Rather than edicts, set clear guidelines for communicating availability and collaborating across remote/onsite employees (Cha et al., 2020). Schedule regular meetings/synchronous work to foster teamwork while respecting individual schedules through asynchronous work as well. Microsoft found this approach maintained productivity while increasing satisfaction.
Measure Outcomes, Not Presence: Shift performance evaluations from face time to tasks completed, problems solved, customers served, value added, and other outcome metrics (Roberts, 2021). This incentivizes results over mere physical presence, encouraging high performance wherever work happens.
Use Technology to Foster Serendipity: Leverage collaboration software, video meetings and workplace apps on mobile devices to recreate chance encounters and watercooler discussions that normally happen organically in offices (Caza, 2020). Technology offsets some benefits lost through reduced co-location.
Empower Managers to Enable Trusted Flexibility: Provide managers guidance and empowerment rather than rigid mandates regarding remote work approvals (Groysberg and Bell, 2021). Trust and clear communication between empowered managers and engaged employees fosters accountability and autonomy critical for high performance.
These research-based principles form a foundation for navigating the post-pandemic transition thoughtfully and strategically through hybrid policies that serve organizational and individual needs sustainably. Mandates risk regression; choice and support breed engagement. The next section details specific hybrid strategy implementation.
Implementing Sustainable Hybrid Strategies
Crafting a thoughtful hybrid policy is just the beginning - implementation matters greatly. This section outlines practical steps leaders can take, using examples, to operationalize sustainable hybrid strategies that leverage research insights.
Pilot Different Models
Rather than a one-size-fits-all edict, identify departments where flexible/remote arrangements clearly add value and pilot multiple hybrid models (e.g. fully remote, office 3x/week, etc.). Gather employee and manager feedback to refine optimal approaches for each group's work.
For example, a consulting firm piloted flexible arrangements for account managers who met most clients virtually anyway, gathering input to establish clear guidelines balancing flexibility, collaboration and outcomes.
Train Managers in Remote Leadership
Equip people managers with skills for leading remote/hybrid teams, like using technology effectively, setting clear expectations, recognizing contributions virtually, and addressing issues proactively (Groysberg and Bell, 2021). Trainings give managers tools and confidence to maximize engagement wherever work happens.
A software company trained people leaders on tracking outcomes, providing feedback in various modalities, and tools for replicating in-person encounters through video calls and messaging apps.
Redesign Collaborative Office Spaces
Rather than just seating arrangements, reimagine offices as innovation hubs for spontaneous collaboration through dedicated project rooms, outdoor work areas and video call pods (Barrero et al., 2021). Change the onsite experience to encourage face-to-face interaction for those who choose to work from the office.
A retailer redesigned their offices with multiple conference rooms bookable for video calls or co-working plus open café areas and outdoor workspaces to facilitate chance encounters.
Keep Hybrid Policies Dynamic
Build in review periods and feedback loops to iteratively refine hybrid strategies based on organizational and team needs. Flexibility is key for long-term sustainability as work models continue adapting post-pandemic (Ozimek, 2021). Periodic assessment ensures strategies remain effective amid changing realities.
A financial firm gathered anonymous employee and manager feedback quarterly to identify policy adjustments like adjusting remote day allowances or meeting scheduling practices. Data allowed proactive improvements to maximize outcomes.
Conclusion
The future of work looks hybrid by necessity and employee demand. However, exclusive return-to-office mandates risk damaging engagement and long-term performance by ignoring key lessons from the widespread success of remote work. Implementation is also critical - choice and clear guidelines supported by manager training and skills development foster accountability better than top-down decrees. By grounding return strategies in empirical research and continuous feedback, organizations can empower employees through sustainable hybrid policies balancing flexibility, collaboration, and performance for changing times. This puts companies in the strongest position to compete for talent while enhancing productivity and workforce well-being in a post-pandemic world of work.
References
Ayalon, O., & Toch, E. (2020). Employees’ perceptions regarding work-from-home in times of crisis: Benefits, challenges and psychological insights. Telematics and Informatics , 56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101475
Bartik, A. W., Bertrand, M., Cullen, Z. B., Glaeser, E. L., Luca, M., & Stanton, C. T. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on small business outcomes and expectations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 117 (30), 17656–17666. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2006991117
Barrero, J. M., Bloom, N., & Davis, S. J. (2021). Why working from home will stick. Becker Friedman Institute Working Paper. https://bfi.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/BFI_WP_202101.pdf
Caza, B. B. (2020). Identity, authenticity, and the pursuit of consistency through storytelling: A review and extension of the self-narrative perspective. Journal of Management Inquiry , 31(1), 3–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492620916702
Cha, J., Morris, M. R., & Teevan, J. (2020). Understanding why people abandon collaboration efforts in collaborative editing systems. Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376593
Dionne, S. (2021). The new realities of remote work and their impact on the future of business. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/05/the-new-realities-of-remote-work-and-their-impact-on-the-future-of-business
Erickson, T. (2021). How to measure employee productivity without micromanaging. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/03/how-to-measure-employee-productivity-without-micromanaging
Groysberg, B., & Bell, D. (2021). Remote work: The paradox of togetherness apart. MIT Sloan Management Review, 62(3), 11–13.
Gurstein, P., & Vitak, J. (2021). Workers want flexibility post-pandemic, but employers plan to bring people back to the office. Here are 3 compromises that could make hybrid workstyles work. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/workers-want-flexibility-post-pandemic-but-employers-plan-to-bring-people-back-to-the-office-here-are-3-compromises-that-could-make-hybrid-workstyles-work-158190
Harper, J. (2020). Remote prospects: The recruitment benefits and challenges of remote working. Human Resource Executive. https://hrexecutive.com/remote-prospects-the-recruitment-benefits-and-challenges-of-remote-working/
McKinsey & Company. (2021). The future of work after COVID-19. https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/the-future-of-work-after-covid-19#findings
Ozimek, A. (2021). The future of remote work. Upwork. https://www.upwork.com/research/future-work-remote-report
PwC. (2021). Employee experience trends: A year of resilience and transformation. https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/people-organisation/publications/employee-experience-trends-a-year-of-resilience-and-transformation.html
Roberts, L. (2021). Rethinking productivity in the age of remote work. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/technology/pages/rethinking-productivity-in-the-age-of-remote-work.aspx
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). The Executive Imperative: Reconsidering Return-to-Office Mandates. Human Capital Leadership Review, 12(1). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.12.2.11
