With executives making long-term moves to either go 100% virtual or return to the office with a hybrid mix in between, what are some concrete steps already in motion to ensure that these plans go off safely and without a hitch?
According to PwC, a multinational professional services network of firms, many executives and leaders in the workforce have plans underway to return to the office in 2021 — but employees are saying “not so fast” according to the report.
Executives are expected to return to the office at a faster rate than employees, PwC reported, and by July, 75 percent of executives anticipate at least half of the office workforce will be back on the job site.
This is in comparison to 61 percent of office workers who could return for at least half of their time by July, according to the report.
A PwC survey between Nov. 24 and Dec. 5, 2020, sampled 133 U.S. executives from public and private companies in three sectors: financial services, technology, media and telecommunications, and retail and consumer products.
For employee perspectives, PwC surveyed 1,200 U.S. office workers from a range of industries during the same timeframe last winter.
They all identified themselves as:
- Employed and previously/presently working remotely — because they were required to work remotely due to COVID-19 mandates (64 percent)
- Already working in a flexible arrangement with their employer (36 percent).
Going back to work in person, though, is not just a simple arrangement. With the vaccination efforts ramping up, uncertainties still loom about how to allow employees to return safely, coupled with how to work together in this new normal era.
Buzz Thomas, principal at Thomas Group Consulting, Inc. in Detroit, is leading the way in the return-to-work efforts.
“The pandemic obviously caused a major disruption in our business,” he told The Michigan Chronicle. “In March of 2020, we closed our office to in-person working which disrupted our employees and the businesses of two tenants who subleased space from us.”
The company is a strategic consulting partner to clients, helping them align their goals to the “goals and aspiration of the communities in which they do business.”
Thomas said that his team went to work to create resources for the staff to work from home and have the technology to “thrive” in a remote setting.
“It’s been frustrating from an economic standpoint of paying leases on offices and equipment that has gone unused for more than 14 months now,” Thomas said, adding that the company’s experienced the pain of paying rent on an empty office, too.
His employees and office space tenants have all worked remotely for the past 14 months.
“We have made the office space available … limiting the space to no more than two people in the office at one time,” he said adding that the office is presently used maybe three days a week by various team members. “We’ve all adjusted to this new environment and built out various degrees of home offices to meet individual needs.”
With the return-to-work discussions, Thomas said that his employees and families have taken the COVID-19 vaccine but they’re still being cautious.
“We’re still avoiding a full office as people have actually enjoyed remote work,” he said. “All employees and tenants and their employees are being given a choice about what they’re comfortable with.”
Thomas said that the business is “likely changed forever” and the company is rethinking its office space needs.
“Unfortunately, two of our tenants were not able to afford an office and remote work so they’ve moved on to working from home permanently,” he said adding that their current lease expires early in 2022. “We expect to downsize our physical footprint dramatically to reflect our hybrid work model. We’ll need collaboration spaces and some common areas for personal engagement, but the day of the traditional office footprint is over for us.”
Thomas also said the company is looking at the hybrid model for work which is working out well.
“We’ve decided to be a hybrid and flexible business where people are encouraged to work from wherever they are comfortable and productive,” he said. “We’ve found that employees appreciate the control they have been given about how they manage their time.”
