RTW Mandate? How to Trailblaze Your Office for Greater EX

Trailblazers can come in every size, but their superpower lies in their vision, passion, and courage…and their ability to rally those around them to embrace all of it. 

Companies globally are either in the process of or planning to bring employees back into the office. Some may not be overly enthusiastic about swapping sweats for corporate casual again. But many argue that getting back to a ‘pre-COVID normal’ is necessary for higher productivity, collaboration, and office culture. 

To really reengage, reignite, and help employees more than just assimilate back into office life, it will take a true trailblazer to create a culture that meets the needs of both leaders and employees in a post-COVID world. 

Culture & Community  

Many leaders believe in-person interactions foster stronger team relationships, mentoring opportunities, and informal, spontaneous learning. Additionally, many believe that creative brainstorming is more effective face-to-face. 

Leaders and employees alike believe that being physically present reinforces company values, identity, a feeling of community, and a shared sense of purpose that you can’t get from video conferencing and chat. 

There is an argument that employees are more focused and productive in the office due to fewer distractions, however, some statistics show otherwise. Leaders also believe having employees on-site allows for closer monitoring of work performance, which some companies associate with higher efficiency.

Building & Other Operating Expenses  

According to data from VergeSense, the average company in the United States spends around $300,000 or more per year on wasted office space due to employees not being physically present. The average cost of office space hovers around $35 per square foot. These numbers don’t account for utility, maintenance, cleaning, and landscaping costs, which could run thousands each month, depending upon building/lot size. 

Additionally, restaurants and retailers around office parks have taken a drastic hit. This affects the local global economy. 

The Resistance

Regardless of the need to re-occupy offices for company overhead and local economic health, the desire to bring teams back together in one space may be met with some resistance. 

Last year, 90% of companies with office space planned to have employees return on-site, with many tracking attendances to ensure compliance. (Source: Deskbird)

However, despite employer initiatives, many employees preferred remote or hybrid work. Surveys indicated that only 3% of employees desired a full-time return to the office, with 86% favoring remote work at least two days a week. (Source: Joberra)

In spite of RTO mandates, many employees resist full-time office returns. Surveys show that 64% of employees would consider searching for a new job if required to return full-time, highlighting the importance of flexibility in modern work arrangements. (Source: Joberra)    

Additionally, a recent study by Gartner revealed that going into the office costs an employee about 25% of their daily income – and unfortunately, many of the RTO mandates may not come with a salary bump.

The Antidote for Resistance  

In steps the ‘trailblazer’ – the culture-maker, the inspiration leader, the collaborative queen (or king). 

To “trailblaze” your workforce means to foster a culture where employees are encouraged to be innovative, take initiative, and actively seek out new ideas and approaches, essentially pushing the boundaries of their roles and driving significant change within the company; this can be achieved by cultivating a learning environment, empowering employees to experiment, providing opportunities for skill development, and recruiting individuals with a “trailblazer” mindset who are comfortable stepping outside of traditional boundaries.

 4 Key strategies to trailblaze your workforce:

• Create a culture of continuous learning

  • Encourage employees to explore new skills and knowledge through ongoing training programs, mentorship opportunities, and access to relevant learning platforms like online courses or internal knowledge bases. 
  • Research from MIT found that when you’re within 65 feet of others, people experience ‘knowledge spillover’ – a moment in which you learn from each other, gaining access to new information and awareness of issues and other perspectives.

• Empower employees to take ownership

  • Delegate decision-making authority to team members, provide them with the resources to implement their ideas and celebrate successes achieved through the initiative.  Employees who feel ownership in their work and projects are more engaged, which leads to a happier work life.

• Foster collaboration and engagement

  • Encourage collaboration across departments to generate new perspectives and solutions by creating teams with diverse skill sets and experiences.  This creates a natural engagement. When team members and employees collaborate, they tend to inspire one another. When this happens, studies published in the Journal of Labor Economics indicate that employees feel better about their work. 

• Recognize and reward innovation

  • Publicly acknowledge and reward employees who demonstrate initiative, creativity, and a willingness to explore new ideas.  Working remotely can often make it difficult for leaders to realize an employee’s true dedication and work quality. Live Data Technologies reports that remote employees are 31% less likely to get a promotion for these very reasons. Resumebuilder backs this up by offering poll results that reveal that remote employees who work away from the office are 24% less likely to get a promotion. Additionally, they are likely to get smaller pay raises when compared to those who work in the office.

COVID-19 changed many things, not the least of which is how and where we work. But it’s also changed people’s needs and expectations from employers – more autonomy with work location and schedules, higher levels of trust, and better communication. 

As we head for the office, it would seem that we are on the cusp of change again – but that doesn’t mean the needs and expectations have changed. Trailblazers have the power to define what success looks like and make it an example to the rest of the world.