Four Ways to Help Employees Feel Good About Returning to the Office
Lifestyle
The Covid-19 pandemic changed every part of our daily lives, including where and how we work. For traditional office employees, transitioning to remote work came with challenges at first, but after more than two years of enjoying greater flexibility and work-life balance, organizations are now looking for creative ways to draw employees back to the office. Overall, the goal is to create atmospheres and opportunities that can’t be duplicated at home. Here are some tips for boosting employee engagement and team morale as we return to the office.
Rebuild Your Brand Connection
Perhaps the greatest value your physical location offers your employees is a tangible connection to your brand. While we’ve found ways to continue collaborating in a virtual world, there is no substitute for walking the halls of an organization and seeing the brand’s unique products, services and values displayed through its interior design. As employees return to the office, this is a great opportunity to renew their connection to the company’s vision and mission and rally the team around the unique value you bring to your customers. One example of this is Airbnb’s corporate headquarters in San Francisco, where each meeting room is inspired by a different property listing, giving employees the opportunity to “travel” throughout their day. An on-site company retreat could be another great way to boost morale and help the team reacclimate to each other and to the organization.
Focus on Employee Wellness
For many, a return to the office could disrupt established self-care routines and workout regimens. To overcome these concerns, many organizations are looking for ways to incorporate health and wellness into the office environment. From dedicated fitness spaces and on-site classes to napping pods and meditation lounges, the goal is to give employees opportunities to maintain a feeling of balance and overall well-being.
A really simple way to improve employee wellness at work is to offer a variety of seating options that encourage movement and a change of scenery. Exercise balls, hanging swings, and the Tuuci Air Lounge Hammock are all great ways to incorporate unexpected seating that boosts creativity and engagement. Depending on where it’s installed, the versatile Air Lounge can be used in a variety of ways—both indoors and out.
Office Upgrades
Updates to the design of your workspace are a huge draw for current and future employees. Interiors should feel clean and contemporary, with the flexibility for employees to add their own personal touches or select the space that works best for them.
Don’t forget to upgrade outdoor spaces as well. Working outdoors has been shown to reduce stress, improve creativity and boost energy, so outdoor workspaces are a great way to improve your team’s productivity and overall wellness. Tuuci’s Solanox Cabana adds beautiful design and shady comfort to outdoor workspaces. Beneath the cabana, you can add sofa seating for relaxed brainstorming sessions or outdoor conference tables for more structured meetings.
Remain Flexible
Whether you’re asking employees to return to the office full-time, or incorporating a hybrid schedule between home and office, continuing to provide flexible work schedules is critical for attracting and retaining talent. Instead of shaping their lives around work, most employees now expect to be able to shape work around their lives, so find ways to provide as much flexibility throughout the day as possible. Returning immediately to a strict eight-hour day, five days a week can quickly lead to burnout, which doesn’t benefit the employee or the company.
The last couple years have posed challenges at home and at work that we couldn’t have predicted. As we continue to define what the “new normal” looks like for both individuals and businesses, it’s important for everyone to remain nimble with a willingness to give and take. When employees feel more supported and productive at the office than they do at home, they’ll be eager to get back to the space you’ve thoughtfully created for them.