The task of returning to the office still feels like an advanced mathematical equation that even the smartest minds in business can’t solve.
Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and AT&T are among the companies that have recently required full-time RTOs. But some of those missions have hit roadblocks, including a lack of office space and dissatisfied employees.
Amazon, for example, said in September that it hoped to have 350,000 employees onboard by early January. As of February, many of their offices did not have enough desks to accommodate returning workers, causing many employees to continue working from home. AT&T has a similar problem. In response to JPMorgan’s RTO directive, employees expressed their anger on internal platforms. The company subsequently disabled comments. Some JPMorgan Chase and Amazon employees also signed petitions protesting their employers’ demands.
Workplace Strategist and Why are we here? : Create a work culture that everyone wants. Post-pandemic workplaces should incorporate lessons from pre-pandemic and pandemic-era models, she said.
“As we try to get people back into offices, we’re still executing offices the same way we’ve done in the past,” Moss told HR Brew. “We just can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.”
Get to know the new environment. Improving collaboration, culture and productivity are often cited as reasons for implementing RTOs, but being in the office doesn’t necessarily help employees achieve those goals, Moss said.
“Unfortunately, people walk into the office and feel like they’re at home,” she said. “You’re still using Zoom and you’re still spending your day doing the exact same things you would do at home. It feels very casual.”
To facilitate this new era of work, employers should embrace what Moss calls the “third office” model. Instead of “pushing” employees back to pre-pandemic norms, employers should consider how to incorporate the benefits of remote work, such as autonomy and flexibility, she said. For this, she says, a hybrid approach often works best.
Moss also urged attention to the impact of physical office space on employees. For example, if a company doesn’t have enough desks, she said HR leaders should rethink how employees work in the office and create quiet or collaborative spaces outside of open floor plans.
“this [third office] Here you can have challenging discussions, where you can learn to network, develop soft skills, be able to engage in team building and enhance social energy and cohesion. ” She added that these activities were undervalued before the pandemic, disappeared during the pandemic, and should be part of this new era.
Ultimately, however, companies that need to be in the office for five days should provide employees with their own dedicated workspace, Moss said. It may seem simple, but being able to personalize your desk may help employees feel more connected to the workplace, she said.
Identify and communicate specific situations. John Frehse, global director of workforce strategy at consulting firm Ankura, said some executives hope RTOs can alleviate their own “trust issues” without considering how this might affect employees.
“You only trust me when I’m in the office. You don’t trust me when I’m at home. What kind of worker-employer relationship are we dealing with?” Frehse told HR Brew.
Sujay Saha, employee experience strategist and founder of Cortico-X Consulting, emphasizes the need for a plan. “Instead of making a decision and then trying to figure out, how do I get people to make that decision … that’s the biggest problem there,” Saha said. He advises HR departments to start by identifying an employee’s “role,” such as whether they are a working parent or part of the sandwich generation. This can give HR an idea of the employee’s needs and schedules, which can help inform what type of RTO might make sense.
“There are pros and cons to all of this, so the most important thing we can address is how we do it,” Saha said. “Maybe you can do this… slow down and give people the mental adjustment time they really need and take care of their lives before you change [their lives]”.
Frehse also advises against focusing RTO announcements on enforcement and the consequences of non-compliance with mandates. Instead, communicate the steps and value-add for career development.
He said: “It’s culturally and intellectually lazy to announce a specific number of days per week for a return to the office without detailing the reasons why – not just for the business, but for employees.”
Saha agreed. “Don’t do it, just for the sake of doing it…be clear about why you’re doing it.”
this The report is Originally published by HR Brewing.
A version of this story was published on Fortune.com on February 28, 2025.
This story originally appeared on Fortune.com