spell the demise of working from home?
A KPMG report last year found that 64% of 1,300 surveyed CEOs expected employees back full-time within three years. Some are even now setting limits on remote working.
On the flip side, staff happily ensconced in home offices and grappling with mounting cost-of-living pressures are pushing back and eager to negotiate longer-term flexibility.
Open and honest conversations are needed
University of New England clinical psychologists Dr Clara Murray and Dr Amanda Jefferys say open and transparent conversations are urgently needed. And working from home may not necessarily be the best solution.
"We are seeing clients struggling with the anxiety and social isolation of working from home," says Dr Jefferys. "Some are not venturing out as much or participating in activities like they used to before COVID.
"It's not just the social withdrawal, but also the declining self-confidence and increased nervousness they feel, and the physical health impacts of reduced mobility. In the most severe cases, people can become clinically depressed because they are living at work rather than working from home."
Finding that sweet spot
As we enter a new phase of the WFH phenomenon, Dr Murray recommends supervisors consult staff to discuss what works best for them, their team and the business - and the sooner the better. Because the longer people are away from the office, the more difficult it will be for them to go back.
This is a watershed moment. Employers and employees need to find the right balance between something that is fair and reasonable and something that works both for the organisation and the individual. It's likely to be a hybrid approach.
"The Elon Musk, top-down edict approach will only increase resistance, if people believe they are not being given an option or their preferred option has been taken away," Dr Murray says. "People have seen what can be achieved through a flexible working arrangement and that the five-days-a-week office model is dead.
"However, working from home does not necessarily support the creative connections, communication and effective collaboration that most workplaces now require to drive innovation.
"This is a watershed moment. Employers and employees need to find the right balance between something that is fair and reasonable and something that works both for the organisation and the individual. It's likely to be a hybrid approach."
Organisations need to announce their bigger plans now, so people can get their head around what's coming and shift gears.
Dr Jefferys says finding that sweet spot requires "working through the issues and nudging staff a little". "Organisations need to announce their bigger plans now, so people can get their head around what's coming and shift gears."
Restoring workplace culture
Workplace culture may also need to be restored, to incentivise staff. "The office needs to be a place that people want to come in to, that offers positive opportunities for social interaction, whether that's through morning teas or team activities," says Dr Murray. "Staff need to realise what it is they have been missing."
Staggering a person's return to work and supporting them through the transition is part of the process.
"People must have agency around what happens to them," says Dr Jefferys. "Leaders who step through the process with staff, check how the arrangement is working and understand that culture happens in every interaction will have an easier time."
Leaders who step through the process with staff, check how the arrangement is working and understand that culture happens in every interaction will have an easier time.
Dr Murray says finding the most workable and satisfying models is in everyone's interests. "We all have skin in this game," she says. "Being an active participant is good for the individual's health and a satisfying and meaningful working life. It also helps businesses and their communities to thrive."
