Leading workplace expert shares what’s enticing employees back into the office and three tips for businesses to keep the hybrid rhythm permanent. 

As Australia is hit with its latest COVID-19 wave, businesses are struggling to maintain their hybrid working policy and attract employees back into the office to restore workplace culture. 

New research commissioned by leading workplace design consultancy, Future X Collective, found that more than 1 in 2 (54%) Australians never intend to return to the office full-time, with almost a quarter (24%) reporting that they would actively seek out another job if their company forced them back into the office full-time. 

Co-founder of Future X Collective, Angela Ferguson, says: “The momentum to return to the office, even in a hybrid nature, has slowed significantly in the past month. Surges in Covid cases and influenza, along with heavy rainfall and regular union train strikes in NSW, have prompted a disinterest in the office by employees.” 

“Irrespective of size or nature, this has created a lack of momentum for many businesses, who desire staff in the office at least part of the week to drive workplace culture and collaborate on projects.” 

Currently, 2 in 5 (43%) Australians report working in a hybrid rhythm, while 15% said they value their autonomy and flexibility too much to consider working 2-3 days in the office again. 

Several respondents expressed that they were more productive at home, while others stated the cost and time of travel were their biggest deterrent to returning to the office: 

• “It makes no sense to return to the office when I can be more productive at home and it saves me time and money to do so.” said 42-year-old construction manager from ACT.
• “It's not really about spending time at home but now it's more expensive to move around because of fuel prices” Said 22-year-old corporate worker from Perth.
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Delving further into the research, employees stated that the main drawcards to come back into the office (even in a hybrid capacity) was an increase in their salary (40% selected this as their top choice), followed by knowing their colleagues would be there (15%) and being reimbursed for their travel and lunch costs (14%). 

Angela says; “We know that most businesses need employees to come into the office at least 2-3 days of the week to help foster a sense of collaboration and culture. While offering an increase in salary may not be possible for many companies, especially with experts predicting a recession is looming, it is promising to see that the research highlights that there are ways employers can encourage staff into the office in a more regular and permanent hybrid rhythm without needing to make drastic changes.” 

Based off the findings, Future X Collective has shared 3 key tips for businesses to create a hybrid working policy that meets employee needs and is sure to stay permanent, that go above and beyond salary: 

Create ‘Together’ Days 

In an era of flexibility and autonomy, asking all staff to be in the office on a particular day each week may seem controversial. However, research shows that Australian workers desire an inspiring working environment and for their colleagues to be in the office with them when they are working. Naturally, this requires people to be physically present in the office. 

Workplace culture is largely reliant on people to create an environment which is inspiring and productive for their fellow colleagues. Having 1-2 mandatory days where staff must be in the office, helps provide consistency, builds a sense of togetherness, and drives social connection and collaboration.

Consider what your workplace offers 

To entice employees into a permanent hybrid rhythm, businesses must consider ‘how can we create a compelling experience for our people?’ Not just in terms of the environment, but also look at culture and technology and how these three things come together. 

The office should be different from home and offer something extra to people. Social and learning events are a great way to encourage people back to the office. This can include regular team lunches or milestone celebrations such as work anniversaries, and in-person learning related to wellness topics - these are all great ways to bring people back to the office. 

Angela says, “It’s often not until people physically return to the office in a more consistent nature to see their colleagues face to face, that they realise what they’ve been missing while working from home.”

Ask your team 

The best way to support your team to design their own experience of hybrid working is to ask them. Many organisations’ staff are ‘surveyed out’, so creating engaging and interactive online workshops can help to capture sentiment and hopes for the future in real-time. People in the workshop can see the outcomes as the workshop progresses, providing instant results and visual feedback. 

Finding the most appropriate balance between what the business needs to create revenue and drive growth, and what employees desire from their working experience is where a business and its people will both thrive.