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Nowadays, to run a successful corporate business, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll have to offer a hybrid work style to attract new employees and retain existing ones. But offering hybrid work options is about more than letting your employees work from home several days a week. It’s about providing amenities that make the balance between work and home more level — and make them want to come into the office to work.
Since exiting the height of the pandemic, many companies have observed work outputs for their employees. While remote work is undoubtedly a lucrative business strategy, some companies have noticed slower productivity when offering 100% remote work. Instead, many companies have noted higher outputs when working from an office setting. But with so many workers citing remote work as a non-negotiable, how do you placate employees’ wants with your business’s needs?
Related: 5 Steps to Implement the Ideal Hybrid Work Model
Hybrid work is the future
Giving employees the choice to work partially from home and partially from an office is paramount to employee productivity and retention. The last thing you want when encouraging workers to work from your office is to spark resignations. But how can you negotiate the needs of your business with employee satisfaction?
The answer is hybrid work!
Granting your employees the option to work both in and out of the office gives them freedom and flexibility while steering them to higher productivity levels. But when weighing the pros of working from home and the cons of working from an office, many workers may feel compelled to always opt to work from home. So, what’s the easiest way to entice workers to work from your office?
Make your office space inviting with these amenities for hybrid workers.
Hot desking
Hot desking is a type of flexible workspace where desks aren’t assigned to a specific employee. Instead, a selection or desk area is open for employees to share and move around. This is incredibly impactful if your hybrid employees work on a staggered schedule. Instead of leaving half of your office unused for several days a week, hot desking desks will be occupied every day.
Hot desking encourages employees to be more collaborative, encouraging them to work in the office, especially when working on projects with other team members. So, productivity will be positively impacted, and employees will get a chance to form stronger professional relationships through collaboration and discussions in shared workspaces.
Casual dress code
One of the biggest reasons workers hesitate to return to the office is comfort! Swapping comfortable clothing for business casual can feel detrimental. So, make the transition more manageable with a casual dress code.
Allowing workers to wear jeans and t-shirts daily means they’ll feel more at home in your workplace. Further, if there’s ever a day when you’ve got investors visiting, and your team needs to be more dressed up than usual, they may be excited for the opportunity to dress up.
Further, the last thing you want is an employee’s performance to be impacted by uncomfortable clothing. So, eliminate this possibility with a relaxed, casual dress code.
Related: 4 Ways to Encourage Employees to Return to the Office
Rooftop spaces or greenery
The prospect of spending eight hours per day under fluorescent lights without spending time outside is one of the most significant drawbacks of returning to the office. Eliminate this prospect by bringing the outdoors to your office.
If your office has an outside area, such as a balcony or a rooftop, encourage workers to spend time there by extending WiFi coverage to these spaces and outfitting them with comfortable chairs and tables.
If not, incorporate the outdoors by decorating your office with greenery. Several large plants, a vine wall or even alternative lighting to overhead lights can make your office space more inviting and convince workers to spend more time in the office than at their home office.
Touchless options
Empowering your employees to remain safe and sanitary while working in the office is one of the easiest ways to entice them to return. In addition to stocking hand sanitizer and hiring a cleaning crew to disinfect your office regularly, consider investing in touchless entry options.
A mobile-based intercom allows employees to swipe on their phones to gain access to your office — no need to type on a public keypad or fumble with keys!
Further, the best intercom systems will allow you to send virtual keys to visitors or delivery couriers. So, touchless entry is sanitary and convenient!
Private spaces
While an open-concept office draws in many employees who prefer remote work, it’s not always practical. Instead of a completely open office space, offer several private spaces where employees can take calls, have private meetings and work in silence when they need to focus.
Think of it as offering a “closed” open office. As a business owner or manager, you don’t have to choose between a row of cubicles or a completely open-concept office. Instead, a happy medium between the two with some areas of hot desking and some private rooms is your best option to accommodate hybrid workers.
If you’re struggling to entice your employees to return to the office a few days a week, consider offering these attractive amenities. By doing so, you’ll make their time in the office much more inviting, convenient and comfortable — and you’ll likely also see higher levels of productivity as well.
