In the wake of the upheaval brought about by the global pandemic, the world of work has been forced to reinvent itself. Remote work has become the norm, offering unprecedented flexibility to workers while challenging the traditional concept of the office. In its latest study, APEC estimates that 67% of the managers work at least one day a week remotely, with a quarter working more than two days a week.

As a result, we have many companies that have adopted remote work permanently, but with an emerging trend : the return to the office, implying a certain rebalancing between working from home and being on site. In this article, we’ll take a look at this evolution, the key considerations for driving people back to the office, and the benefits of digital Smart Office solutions in this context.

Back to the office: a rebalancing underway

Since the start of the pandemic, remote work has been widely adopted as a solution to maintain business continuity while ensuring employee safety. However, this practice also revealed some challenges, especially in terms of collaboration, company culture, and employee well-being. Faced with these realities, some organizations are considering the elimination of teleworking; For example, according to a KPMG study, two-thirds of CEOs are convinced they will return to the office five days a week. On the other hand, still in its latest study, APEC tells us that nearly one in two white-collar workers (45%) would resign if access to teleworking were taken away.

In response to these contradictions, it is highly likely that most organizations will implement a gradual return to the office, while maintaining some flexibility.

The rise of the Flex Office, a workspace organization model that offers a variety of spaces and workstations tailored to employees' needs, reflects this trend. The Flex Office combines the benefits of remote work with the need for a physical work environment to foster collaboration, creativity, and a sense of belonging to the company.

Employees find their interest, although they are not fooled on the primary reasons for switching to the Flex Office, they are 64% in France (JLL study) to think that the main reasons are about reducing office space and costs. However, 80% of them say that the Flex Office is a good way to maintain teleworking, and 73% of them consider that the Flex Office meets the new expectations of working methods.

Gilles Gateau, Director General of APEC, sums up the situation well when he says that “today, a return to the full face-to-face approach does not seem conceivable and companies that would be tempted to impose this format would risk seeing their best talent go elsewhere. Teleworking is no longer a short-term response to a crisis, it has become a structural component of the organization of work.”

How, then, can we encourage employees to return to the office?

Key elements to encourage the return to the office

For those companies considering a return to the office, there are several things to consider to ensure a successful transition:

Transparent and clear communication: The organization should communicate transparently about its back to office strategy, the safety measures in place, and the benefits of hybrid work. Employees need to understand the reasons behind the decisions made and feel confident about their safety and well-being when they return to the office.

Flexibility and autonomy: Providing employees with flexibility in their work schedules and the ability to choose when and how they work is key to encouraging a return to the office. Organizations need to take an outcome-driven approach rather than physical presence, allowing employees to manage their time more effectively and balance their work and personal obligations.

Workspace layout: Offices need to be redesigned to meet the needs of hybrid workers, e.g. collaboration, need for focus, etc. This can include creating collaboration zones, relaxation areas, bubbles to isolate yourself, or meeting rooms equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Organizations must also ensure adequate availability of workstations and equipment needed to enable employees to work productively.

Inclusive company culture: Promoting an inclusive company culture is key to encouraging the return to the office. Organizations need to create an environment where all employees feel valued, supported, and included, whether they are working on-site or remotely. This can include initiatives such as mentorship programs, virtual team events, and professional development opportunities that are accessible to all.

Adaptive technology: Providing employees with the tools and technology they need to work effectively is crucial in a hybrid work environment. This can include online collaboration software, project management tools, and unified communication solutions to facilitate collaboration and communication between team members, whether they are working on-site or remotely. Tools specific to the organization of hybrid work and, more generally, those that make it possible to reconcile employee experience and real estate performance, are also to be considered, as we will see below.

Training and support: Organizations need to provide employees with appropriate training and support to help them adapt to hybrid work. This can include training sessions on how to use collaboration tools and technologies, as well as resources to help employees manage their time and energy effectively in a hybrid work environment.

By taking these key elements into account, organizations can successfully incentivize and achieve a back to the office for their employees in hybrid work, while supporting employee productivity, collaboration, and well-being.

The benefits of digital Smart Office solutions

In this context, digital Smart Office solutions play a crucial role in ensuring a successful back to the office. First and foremost, it is a question of organizing, securing, and facilitating the venue of employees on site. Although neglected by more and more organizations, booking one’s workstation before coming to the site can represent comfort and “security” for some employees. However, for most other employees, booking will be seen as a constraint, or even an irritant, and will ultimately be counterproductive to make them come(back) to the site. The solution is to combine this booking feature with automatic presence detection, promoting a fluid Smart Office experience as it adapts to the employees behavior. In addition, presence detection makes it possible to offer additional services that further enhance the user experience. For example, based on interactive maps, the possibility to find a place next to colleagues, to visualize which of them are present on site or to quickly locate the appropriate workspace.

In addition to its generic functionalities for all employees, Smart Office solutions can also relieve managers in the organization of hybrid work.

For example, thanks to shared calendars, they help in organizing the team’s presence on site. More generally, employees gain autonomy, thereby reducing the mental load of their manager.

Above all, these technologies allow companies to collect real-time data on the use of workspaces, including occupancy rates of desks, meeting rooms and common areas. With these data, organizations can make informed readjustment decisions, such as optimizing workstation distribution, planning meeting space needs, and identifying usage trends to better meet employee needs.

In addition, smart office solutions provide increased visibility into employee activity, making it easier to manage hybrid workforces and coordinate dispersed teams. For example, thanks to AI, these solutions can suggest a dynamic distribution of on-site teams as it differs according to the weekdays, taking into account the days of teleworking of each one. This makes it possible to share the same space more efficiently.

By integrating communication and collaboration tools, these solutions also promote connectivity and employee engagement, regardless of where they work.

In conclusion, a successful back to the office requires a thoughtful and strategic approach, which takes into account the needs and concerns of employees. By combining proactive management of physical workspaces with innovative digital solutions, companies can create a dynamic and flexible work environment that promotes employee productivity, collaboration, and well-being.

Sources (in french):

• Enquête « 2023 CEO Outlook » du cabinet d’audit KPMG
• Étude APEC
• Étude JLL « Le Flex Office, une réponse aux enjeux de son temps »