As much as we’ve seen significant movement over the last couple of years from companies on whether or not to let workers go fully remote, an interesting shift is occurring. Some of those very same companies are changing their expectations, requiring employees to be in the office at least two to three times per week.
How will that hybrid approach work in the long haul? We’ll see how it plays out, but we believe that on-site work will be highly embraced again by specific industries, especially the technical and financial industries.
Simply put: When companies have employees who have fully bought into working on-site, it creates a unique edge for these businesses where they see the benefits in many ways. Some industries are just better equipped for on-site work due to the nature of the work as well as how teams interact more productively when they are physically closer rather than virtually.
What Do They Do – And Do Better – In The Office?
If you have people coming into the office for two or three days, it’s essential to be keenly aware of how their activities in the office are different from the activities they do from home. And considering the logistical questions that can arise with this greater understanding, it’s not a trivial issue.
For example, let’s say you have teams that frequently engage in brainstorming sessions. Where is it best for those to occur? In situations that involve multiple people talking at one time as they bounce ideas off one another, getting together in the office is likely a far better avenue to pursue. Allowing a brainstorming where half of the people are in the office and the other half are working from home may create communication issues.
Let’s face it: Zoom or Teams can be fair for one-on-one interactions, but these technologies are not the greatest right now when it comes to group interactions of many different people in many different locations.
Conversely, suppose an employee’s primary responsibility is sitting in an office and coding all day long. In that case, it could be productive for them to work from home some days rather than be interrupted in an office environment where people are constantly coming up to them.
With this in mind, what are the implications for a firm in attracting and retaining talent?
In a sense, favoring more on-site work allows a firm to establish a strong voice on the nature of how it views and recognizes its emerging leaders. Case in point: We’ve heard prominent leaders in the financial and tech spaces speak about how they believe people who are passionate about ascending in the organization will come into the office. Period.
It also communicates a potential commitment to establishing a culture where only a particular set of people can belong. That is not at all a bad thing. Culture will always be easier to establish when a company has its people under one roof. It becomes far more challenging to maintain a culture among a widely dispersed team that\ has variable days and times for when people come into the office.
Talman Advantage #2: We See The Complete Picture Of Who You Are
At Roy Talman & Associates, we don’t just see you as a resume or even a candidate to fill an open job. Instead, we’ll ask to meet you because we want to get to know you on a deeper level – that includes your current skills, your knowledge of certain subjects, your special expertise, your work style and the environments in which you believe you thrive.
Compare that to others. But always Talk To Talman First.
So we’ve just tied two very important elements – promotions and culture – directly to on-site work. It’s not a standalone policy with arbitrary rules. It’s an approach that reinforces who we are. And that can serve as a rallying point to bring a team closer together – even beyond being physically closer by everyone coming into the office.
As you prepare to make changes in your company’s approach in terms of on-site work versus remote work, there are bound to be implications for recruitment and retention. That’s where Roy Talman & Associates can be an invaluable partner in strategizing a hiring plan that evolves as you do. With an approach that never settles for less than the top candidates in alignment with your goals, structure and culture. Head into the next era with the utmost confidence. Talk To Talman First.