Nervous or Excited? How Businesses Feel About Returning to the Office

As lockdown is eased, a return to the office might be closer than we think. In fact, some businesses have already begun the process, starting with just a handful of employees at a time. But with many wanting to jump straight back into the workplace, others are reticent.

We’ve been gauging employee sentiment as we look to find out how people feel about returning to work, whether they’re excited or anxious, and, if so, how employers can help alleviate concerns.

How businesses feel about returning to the office

For the past two years, Kevin Gibbons, CEO and founder of SEO and content marketing agency, Re:signal, had implemented a ‘work from home Wednesday’ for him and his team. The day was reserved as a non-meeting day to help employees catch up on independent, focused tasks.

Now, he’s flipping that schedule around. He and his team work from home throughout the week, with the option to work from the office on Wednesdays to meet, collaborate and share ideas.

“Personally, this feels like a better approach than all or nothing to me”, he explains. “It’s important for the team to spend time together in order to feel like we’re moving towards that new – or next – normal. But I appreciate it’s different for everyone”.

The shift was decided last week, as Re:signal trialled working from its WeWork office in London for the first time since March.

Not only did Gibbons explain how nice it was to be able to have face-to-face conversations, but he noticed how the team were able to fix a lot of small issues that had boiled into bigger ones while working from home – exacerbated by the lack of face-to-face communication.

By catching up in person, he and his team got to grips with the wider picture and were able to address issues more efficiently than if they had tackled them exclusively in the virtual world.

But when it comes to Re:signal’s return to the office, Gibbons admits that he doesn’t have all the answers: “We were one of the first companies to start the shift to work from home, for the reason that we have to put the team 100% first. We’re always willing to test what works best for us, starting with this slowly phased back approach of one day a week – while keeping it optional for the team.”

Gibbons was just one of many business leaders to share a “Good to be back” post on LinkedIn. But how are the rest of us feeling?

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Those of us who are motivated by routine and structure are missing our office productivity levels.

Returning to the office: What employees are most excited about

Considering we’re “hungering for human connection” – most recently signalled by teams waving goodbye on video calls – it’s no surprise that collaboration is one of the biggest reasons employees want to get back to the office.

In a survey carried by out by the Standard, 80% of respondents said they “missed interacting with colleagues”. This isn’t exclusive to the UK; in the US, an employee survey by New York-based TPG Architecture found that for 86% of respondents, collaborating with teammates in real life was the biggest reason for wanting to return to the office.

Another survey published by PR Week found that 35% of Britons are most excited for free snacks, while 25% are most excited for ‘water cooler chat’, which reinforces our craving for the social buzz of the office (even if it’s at socially distant lengths).

Meanwhile, some of us actually miss the variety of distractions we have in the office. Writing in The Cut, journalist Kerensa Cadenas explains: “As it turns out, office distractions were a big part of the fabric of my life — my socialising, my creative release, and a significant [contributor] to my overall happiness.”

Workplace expert Neil McLocklin, who heads up Knight Frank’s EMEA Strategic Consulting, suggests why this might be: “Neuroscientists have demonstrated how a stimulating and dynamic workplace can actually help develop our brains.”

Likewise, those of us who are motivated by routine and structure are missing our office productivity levels. After analysing workforce performance data, Dan Ingram, Vice President of Marketing at software company Enkata, found that “office based workers were 50% more productive than people at home”.

This sentiment also rings true in new data published by The Manifest, which says that 45% of employees feel more productive in the office, compared to 30% who feel more productive at home and 24% who feel equally as productive in both environments.

But excitement is just half of the picture. As we move towards a new working landscape, returning to the office might feel strange for some.

Among those who are worried, 46% of respondents listed overcrowded offices as the main cause.

Returning to the office: What employees are most nervous about

A study conducted by Bupa Health Clinics found that the nervous versus excited sentiment varies greatly across the UK.

After surveying 2,000 employees, it was revealed that people in Wales are the most anxious, with over 75% of adults expressing concerns about returning to the office. However, only one in seven Londoners are “stressed” about returning to the workplace.

Among those who are worried, 46% of respondents listed overcrowded offices as the main cause, while 42% of employees said they were worried about their abilities to socially distance from others. 

Other concerns included the spread of Covid-19 while commuting (38%), office cleanliness (37%) and employees losing their newfound work-life balance (27%).

How employers can help alleviate concerns

There are ways employers can alleviate anxiety as much as they can mitigate the spread of infection. Alaana Linney, Commercial Director at Bupa Health Clinics explains: “As restrictions begin to be lifted and we start to think about returning to the office, it is important that businesses take steps to support their staff to feel safe when returning to work and reducing the anxiety that is associated with it.”

Some of these steps include flexible working policies that stagger start times, which can allow employees to travel during quiet periods. For concerns around social distancing, we’re speaking to businesses who are opting for rota systems which will ensure only 50% of the team are in on any given day of the week.

In our recent Q&A, ‘Your Post-Lockdown Guide to Renting Office Space’, Amanda Lim, Head of Flexible Office Solutions also addressed concerns about office cleaning regimes: “Flexible office space providers are responsible for all communal areas and the cleaning of your office. While standard cleaning regimes will vary, most providers will ensure a clean is done at least twice a day and a deep clean is done at least once a week – as a bare minimum.

“It’s vital that you feel safe when returning to the office. Providers know that, and they’re truly dedicated to ensuring all their members feel confident in coming back.”