City workers ignore calls to return to offices
Matthew Pinto-Chilcott -FCIPD, ACEL, BA (Hons), Owner of Consensus HR – City workers ignore calls to return to offices comments; “It seems now that the statistics for people wishing to continual to work from home following the Pandemic are starting to come in, with this latest story involving City workers. This is something that I thought would happen as how can many businesses say, following the Pandemic that workers can no longer work from home, if it was successful then?
We have found that this is very business sector specific as many of our clients do not have the choice as the services, they offer need face to face customer service / contact but the few that do not are currently considering their options. Many have taken the option that working from home is still permitted for 1 -2 days a week but for the other working days of their week, the member of the team is needed in the office. Why? You may ask? We have found that many prefer to be in the office and work and keep their personal / business lives separate and have a working lifestyle, with meeting team members whilst also having the opportunity to work from home occasionally if needed. Business owners have had to manage this correctly by working with their teams and explaining why they are required to return to the office to work and attend meetings and what the benefits are to the business, team, and the employee themselves.
In these scenarios it is where HR plays an effective part by consulting and working with your team to find the best solution for the business and them as an employee. If there is not business, then there is no employment, but the team should be encouraged to look for solutions on the way forward with businesses explaining the need for them to be present in the workplace and the benefits this has for the team spirit and business sales / success. The team must however understand that they have a job to fulfil and SMART objectives / Job Description to achieve and follow for the company and their success whilst having the opportunity at their regular performance review (appraisal) to have their say / input on the way forward for their career and the success of the company.”
NEWS ARTICLE:
City workers are ignoring calls from executives to be in the office for a minimum number of days each week, according to a new report based on interviews with 100 workers in major companies. The study suggests that staff and managers in the financial and professional services sectors are employing “bespoke” working models that align with their specific operational needs. The report argues that remote-first policies have no detrimental impact on productivity, with survey respondents saying that flexible working policies have the potential to significantly boost productivity and provide greater efficiency. Dr Grace Logan, an economist at the London School of Economics, warns that demands from top level executives that workers come in for a minimum number of days each week are “ego-driven rather than having the best interests of the business in mind.” Anna Lane, president of Women in Banking and Finance, said managers demanding “rigid” schedules, requiring workers come in for “3,4, or 5” days each week, will “lose out to their competitors who do not” make such demands
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