As companies navigate the complexities of returning to the office, many approaches are being taken to try to meet the company and employee wants
Organizations first directed employees to work remotely when the COVID-19 pandemic began in the U.S. in March 2020. Nearly two years later, as companies continue to navigate these unforeseen circumstances, they must determine how – and when, if at all – employees will return to the office. For many organizations, this is no easy task due to complexities including state and federal vaccine mandates, and employees who now prefer working from home and don’t wish to return to an in-person setting.
63% of employees would prefer a hybrid or fully remote working model post-pandemic, up from 38% pre-pandemic
(https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/what-employees-are-saying-about-the-future-of-remote-work)
As we scan the headlines, each employer announcing their return to the office seems to approach the situation differently. One major employer, PwC, recently announced that its 40,000 U.S. client services employees will be allowed to work virtually and live anywhere they want in perpetuity. Such arrangements come with certain downsides – in many cases, including those at PwC, employees who opt to work virtually full-time from a lower-cost location will experience a pay decrease.
Google is taking a similar approach; after announcing that all employees must return to the office, the company has since relaxed its stance and will allow 20% of its workforce to telecommute (with a potential pay cut). Apple, meanwhile, expects employees to return to their desks at least three days a week when its offices reopen on a to-be-determined date. Though previously announcing its goal was to “return to an office-centric culture as our baseline,” Amazon will follow the same model as Apple and expects employees to be in the office three days a week.
Many organizations are still firming up what this new hybrid model looks like: Do all employees go into the office those three days? Is there a rotating schedule? There are still many unknowns, as with all things related to the COVID-19 pandemic. All of these organizations – PwC, Google, Apple, and Amazon – have invested millions, if not billions, into their corporate offices. With expansive offices, organizations must determine how best to configure the space to ensure employee collaboration.
StanData helps organizations – regardless of size – address pervasive workforce challenges that employers are facing today:
- Hot-desking: StanData recently launched a desk reservation system to help companies and their employees embrace the shift to hoteling and hot-desking. Some companies are coordinating rotating employee in-office schedules, and others are allowing employees more autonomy to choose when – and how often – they physically attend their offices. Reductions in physical office space, along with the uncertainty around the exact number of employees in attendance on a given day, have given rise to the popularity of hoteling – or hot-desking – which allows an individual to reserve a desk for their use.
- Retain talent: Using StanData, 64% of users report having more energy at work; 58% report being more engaged; and 48% state they have a higher level of job satisfaction.
- Increase worker productivity: Leveraging the StanData platform, users take 3.4 fewer breaks daily due to discomfort, which translates into 147 hours – or 3.5 weeks – of additional employee output. Employees also increased proper workstation usage and engagement by more than 65%.
- Focus on, and improve, employee health and wellness: Sitting has been referred to as “the new smoking,” and there are significant health ramifications for adults who find themselves sitting more throughout the day. StanData empowers employees to transform any height adjustable workstation into a powerful wellness tool that encourages employee use through fun, gamification and feedback. Employees can track their desk usage, create a plan to transition from sitting to standing, get transition reminders through their computers web browser or mobile device, and evaluate their progress.
To learn more about how StanData can help your organization – regardless of its size or return to office plans – request a demo.