Research by Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom found less turnover and no loss of productivity in employees able to work at home two days a week.martin-dm/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
Tuesday is one of the most popular days for workers to go into the office. Still, finding motivation to do so may come hard after a long weekend. So consider the pros and cons.
Working from home: There’s no stressful commute, no dressing up and no takeout lunch costs. There are also downsides: lower productivity, less interaction and too many video-off Zoom calls in pyjamas.
Reasonable people may disagree on the best approach, but there’s no doubt that, a half-decade after the COVID-19 pandemic began, working from home is in slow retreat.
That’s good, to an extent. People going to work is good for businesses, good for employees and good for society. Still, a greater flexibility around work is one of the few bright spots to have come out of the upheavals of the last five years. The idea shouldn’t be allowed to wither away entirely.
For white-collar employees, a mix of office and home work is the most desirable balance. Research by Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom found less turnover and no loss of productivity in employees able to work at home two days a week.
This arrangement is not popular with some bosses. But it is a flawed approach to management to believe employees must be in sight to be relied on to do their jobs. Tracking bums-in-seats is not the way to measure productivity.
Smart companies will gradually bring back most workers but still allow some time away. This is happening already. Canada’s big banks are among the major employers slowly increasing the number of days required in the office.
While employers have every right to set requirements for their employees – unless new work arrangements have been codified in a collective agreement – they should proceed judiciously. Dropping a hammer could drive away their best people, those who have the most options.
However, not everyone is convinced.
Elon Musk, the billionaire known for his aggressive work habits, sees a back-to-work mandate for U.S. government employees as a way to purge their ranks by targeting those accustomed to what he called the “Covid-era privilege” of working remotely.
Closer to home, the Canadian military issued a directive last summer ordering service members back five days a week. The Ottawa Citizen reported the then chief of defence staff cited the need for teamwork, cohesion and face-to-face interactions.
Meanwhile, the federal government is battling the Public Service Alliance of Canada union over work-from-home policies. The government wants them back at least three days a week, a reasonable requirement.
The value of having people in the office is that no tech solution can replace the benefits of the overheard conversation or a happenstance meeting in a hallway. No video call can replace the fast-flowing exchange of creative ideas in a physical meeting. Culture matters.
It is also good for workers, with physical separation between work and home helping define the two spheres. Tom Vanderbilt noted in his book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do that people who go to work by car prefer a minimum commute of 20 minutes. This is their me-time.
Being in the office is especially helpful to new hires, who can learn a corporate culture much better when immersed than from a distance. But it’s also good for long-term employees. Although they may have cherished the flexibility and chance to toggle between work and chores at home, they will benefit from being close to colleagues.
This value in proximity is at the heart of why cities exist, though that model came under strain during the pandemic and many urban downtowns are still suffering. This is not to say that private corporations should re-staff offices to help cities recover. They should bring their people back because it makes sense.
The benefits to urban downtowns are just a bonus. Fuller office towers will better retain their valuation, protecting the tax base needed to keep the streets safe and attractive for those who come to work. And it goes both ways: more workers in the core will fill the sidewalks and create buzz at local businesses, making it more appealing to go back to the office.
People are by nature social creatures. Most work better together and benefit psychologically from togetherness. It’s reasonable for employers to want their teams to be together. And employees should welcome the chance to swap pyjamas for work clothes.