In this day and age, the work landscape is always evolving and it is only getting harder to ignore the pros and cons of doing a remote job. While we still see employers and employees being on the opposing sides of this debate, there are companies that are making returning to the office mandatory. Of course, the intention of this decision was to bring back a sense of normality and regularity to society. However, we can already see the negative effects of this decision surfacing.
Today we are here to discuss these negative effects and talk about why insisting on returning to the office may not be a good idea and see if there are any better ways of solving this.
The Negative Effects of Returning to Work
We are seeing many large companies such as Tesla and even Amazon, be doubtful about remote work. There are also employees who are quitting because their CEO made it mandatory to return to the office. This is a situation where the leaders and the employers need to come up with a solution that balances out the biggest changes to happen in our work culture since the industrial revolution took place.
We are also hearing that several companies, such as Google are being strict about their return-to-office mandate and their office policies. They are being so strict that there has been news of termination letters being handed out for non-compliance. Since this dynamic keeps on going back and forth, both employers and employees need to come to some sort of agreement that balances out both sides.
Why is it a Bad Idea to Insist on Return to the Office
We have already discussed the negative effects that returning to an offline work environment can bring. Here is a list of reasons why it is also a bad idea for several companies and businesses:
Top Performers Leaving
Companies and businesses that are trying to bring back the old normalcy are more likely to lose some of their best performers. There are going to be companies that will accept this new change upfront and embrace the changes. Alternatively, there are also going to be companies that stay in denial of the change and mandate returning to work, and they are likely to lose their workforce.
Studies have shown that companies insisting on employees returning to work are more likely to face issues with turnovers. Companies that are functioning in person are already facing problems due to major turnovers. It has also been shown that companies that allow remote work are facing less employee turnover issues.
Employee Satisfaction Suffers
Having to switch from a work environment that is flexible to a routined in-person work schedule is similar to having your pay cut by a slight margin. The decrease in the satisfaction of the job can lead employees to have a lower sense of morale, decreased productivity, and just be disengaged overall. The problems that arise from having such a decrease in job satisfaction can easily affect the bottom line of any company.
Employees have also said that it is harder to get their actual job done in time when working in the office due to there being several distractions. Moreover, there are also multiple in-person meetings that are scheduled throughout the day which makes completing the tasks on hand even harder. Utilize the right software for employee monitoring. In that case, Controlio is a reliable monitoring tool.
Multiple surveys have even shown that staff and employees show more interest in going back to a physical working environment when it is out of their own choice. The dissatisfaction comes from the idea of being forced to go back to the office just because it is mandatory.
What Can Be Done?
Mandating employees to work offline without considering their opinion on it can actually have more of a negative effect and create resistance within the work environment. Additionally, the argument that some roles require employees to be present physically is also valid.
At the end of the day, the debate seems to be quite impossible to solve and it comes down to the employers and leaders. As long as the employers can maintain the satisfaction of their employees and make an approach that is balanced, it ensures that the work gets done.
Conclusion
Insisting on returning to the office is not the best idea for employees because it causes them to feel forced out of their comfort zone. Working from home allows more freedom and no one has to be tied down because of work. This is why remote work has gained much more popularity in recent times as more people have started to prioritize their own time.
