Is returning to the office the best move for your business?

So, you’re thinking of implementing a return to office (RTO) for your staff. It’s been a wild few years, and your organization may have been forced into a remote-working state that you simply weren’t set up for when the pandemic hit. The last few years have fundamentally changed how and where we work, and it’s difficult to navigate the best path forward.

Understandably, after years of flexibility, your employees might not be enthused about the idea of coming back to the office full-time. Especially if they weren’t on-site 5 days a week pre-2020. You are at risk of losing some of your talent, so it’s an incredibly important decision to make.

Let’s weigh up the pros and cons of a RTO mandate, so you can make sure your organization is putting its best foot forward.

The advantages of returning to office

1. Enhanced collaboration and team dynamics: One of the most significant RTO advantages is the potential for enhanced collaboration and stronger team dynamics. While digital tools and cloud technology have enabled remote teams to stay connected, face-to-face interactions often foster deeper relationships and more effective communication. Spontaneous conversations and quick brainstorming sessions in person can lead to creative solutions and drive innovation, which can sometimes be harder to achieve in a virtual setting.
2. Improved oversight and management: Having your employees in the office makes it easier for management to provide oversight and guidance. This proximity can enhance mentoring and on-the-spot coaching, allowing for issues to be addressed more quickly and ensure that projects stay on track. Being physically present can also help you assess employee engagement and morale more effectively, which can be more challenging when everyone is working remotely.
3. Reinforcing company culture: A return to the office allows you to reinforce your culture and values in a more direct and immersive way. When employees are physically together, it’s easier to create a cohesive workplace environment that aligns with the organization’s goals and mission. In-office events, team-building activities, and everyday interactions can strengthen a sense of community and belonging, which are crucial for fostering a positive work culture.
4. Access to office resources and tools: While remote work setups have improved significantly, not all employees have access to the same resources and tools at home as they would in the office. A return to the office ensures that your team have access to necessary equipment, high-speed internet, and a professional workspace, which can enhance productivity. This is particularly important for roles that require specialized equipment or software that may not be available remotely.

The disadvantages of returning to office

1. Higher operational costs: Office space doesn’t come cheap. Rent, utilities, maintenance – it all adds up. If you’re in a prime location, those costs become even more significant. For example, a 10,000 square foot office space in the Central Business District of Austin, Texas, will cost you approx. $717,800 per year. Having your team work remotely reduces these costs exponentially. If you’re locked into a contract for your office space, it’s understandable that you’d want your staff to be making use of it, however, a hybrid model might be a better alternative in this situation, as opposed to a RTO 5 days a week. 
2. Reducing your talent pool: If you require your employees to work from a specific location, you’re massively limiting your talent pool. Remote work has allowed businesses to tap into a broader, often global, talent market. A RTO could mean you miss out on skilled professionals who are unwilling to relocate, or pay a lot more money for the ones who are a commutable distance away. When you’re looking for specialized skill sets, such as cloud technology professionals, this is a hurdle you don’t want to create for yourself, and will place you behind your competitors in the running for top-tier (and affordable) talent.
3. Impact on employee satisfaction and retention: One of the biggest risks of mandating a RTO is the potential impact on employee satisfaction and retention. If your employees have shaped their lives around the flexibility and work-life balance that remote work offers, forcing them to return to office could lead to dissatisfaction, reduced morale, and poor retention. 8 out of 10 employers who have mandated a RTO have lost talent, as we visited briefly above, so this is not just a probable statistic, it’s already happening.
4. Commuting challenges: Reintroducing the daily commute into your workers’ lives could be a significant drawback for both your company and your employees. Commuting not only takes up time, but can be stressful and costly. Studies have shown that commuting can have a negative effect on both physical and psychological health, which in turn affects productivity and absenteeism.  You could greatly increase your turnover by forcing staff back into a long and stressful commute 5 days a week.

Finding the balance

Ultimately, the decision to return to the office or continue with remote or hybrid work models depends on the unique needs of your organization and your employees. While returning to the office offers benefits like improved collaboration and easier management, it also comes with challenges such as increased costs and potential employee dissatisfaction. As we continue to navigate the evolving work landscape, finding a balance that aligns with business goals while meeting employee expectations will be key to success.

Need some advice on facilitating a change in work pattern for your organization? Focus Cloud Group can help. We’ve been operating in niche cloud technology recruitment spaces for 15 years, so we’ve seen it all – what your employees want, what works and doesn’t work in remote/office-based models, and how to attract and retain staff under all circumstances. Get in touch (link to contact page) to start a conversation, and we’ll help figure this out together.