Luring Employees Back to the Office – The Rising Trends
Four years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the work-from-home movement, which gained huge popularity among employees during the early stages of the outbreak, is showing signs of being eradicated faster than the virus itself.
Companies around the world are moving back to an in-office HR approach, with their counterparts here in South Africa following suit. As managers recognise the difficulty of achieving optimal results from remote teams, the return to the office is excellent news for the commercial property sector.
In this article, we take a look at the latest developments in team management and find out why remote working is fast becoming a chapter in the history books.
Companies are turning their backs on remote working
The work-from-home phenomenon, which accelerated hugely during the pandemic, is grinding to a halt in countries around the world.
Across numerous sectors and multiple geographic locations, managers are doubling down on in-office participation and presence to reverse the lag in productivity paranoia seen over the past few years.
Most surprisingly for proponents of work-from-home systems, the tech industry, which spearheaded this approach before and during the pandemic, has recently called for workers to return to the office without delay.
- Earlier this year, Amazon announced that it would require its workers to be back in the office five days a week, mirroring a similar policy at X, formerly known as Twitter.
- This decision, from the very companies that revolutionised and decentralised the way we communicate, is a major blow to the work-from-home trend.
On the domestic front, recent data suggests that South African companies are following suit in requiring their workers to report to the office, with good results – both real and perceived – for managers.
More than 40% of managers surveyed in the Broker Business Confidence Index by FNB this year reported a better perception of business conditions despite ongoing weakness in the economy overall.
When pressed for reasons behind their decision to end remote work, managers in multiple countries point to the difficulties of monitoring and inspiring remote teams.
This also indicates that companies have been slow to invest in the management training and new approaches necessary to make remote working truly possible.
Businesses are making the pragmatic decision to revert to the old way of doing things as the economy returns to pre-pandemic levels of leisure and business travel, restaurant dining, attendance at large sporting events, and other activities that dwindled during the lockdown era.
As businesses return to the office in Cape Town and across South Africa, a number of interesting trends are emerging that describe the various strategies both companies and workers are adopting to navigate the new situation.
Office peacocking and coffee badging: RTO tendencies
Instructing a workforce that has grown accustomed to remote or hybrid work to return to the office isn’t likely to win managers any fans among their team members. Although offering to contribute to commuting costs might reduce the resentment.
According to data from a report by Owl Labs in 2023, 62% or employees would accept a 10% pay cut in order to remain hybrid. To maintain rapport between staff and management, many companies have decided to take a more persuasive approach when it comes to returning to the office.
Many businesses, including those in Cape Town that benefit from the range of modern office spaces that have popped up in the city over the past decade or two, are decking out their premises with all the comforts of home, well-stocked kitchens and coffee bars, comfortable lounge areas, gyms, and even day-care facilities.
This trend has become known as “office peacocking,” which is one strategy businesses are adopting to make a day at work seem less like a chore and more like a desirable activity.
Despite the fact that many workers would rather have flexibility than in-office attendance, peacocking has won over a number of remote workers and helped ease the transition back to the office.
Unfortunately, not every employee is 100% honest when it comes to reporting their in-office time.
Coffee Badging
Coffee badging is a term used for attendance behaviour where some employees come into the office, stay for a coffee, and report their presence to management as if they worked a full day.
This trend is especially prevalent at businesses that take a friendly approach to their in-office mandate and haven’t set up any disciplinary action for employees who refuse to come in.
Nonetheless, the benefits of being in the office—collaboration, mentorship, and opportunities to interact with management and clients—will never be enjoyed by the average “office badger.”
- Organisations that notice a prevalence of office badging may need to consider what steps they can take to make their premises and the experience of being at work more beneficial for employees, encouraging them to come in out of genuine desire to do so.
- As a final resort, a strict return-to-office policy with bonuses for compliance and possible disciplinary action for non-compliance may become necessary for some businesses.
As if the recent trends of coffee badging and peacocking aren’t enough of a concern for employees, “side hustling” is making a comeback with many employees having at least one other job, and “polyworking” with at least two jobs.
And there’s more. Employees have begun the practice of working while sick and taking sick days when healthy to enjoy some fun time off.
Enjoy in-office productivity gains with the ideal office space
The benefits of returning to the office are undeniable, with productivity gains, socialising opportunities for professional growth, and the sheer relief of getting out of the house providing workers compelling reasons to come into work of their own accord.
If you’re considering implementing a return-to-office policy in Cape town, expanding your existing office premises may be the first step you need to take in order to accommodate a larger number of office users.
The Commercial Space team has decades of experience matching successful Cape Town businesses with office premises that suit their needs perfectly. Contact us today to find your ideal office space.
