But after nearly a year of working remotely, many employees have a new vision of what they want out of their office in the future.
We talked to employees from five different industries to get a picture of what they want from their workplace as they start to spend more of their time in the office. Read on to learn how their expectations have shifted over the past year.
Better Work-Life Balance
“There has been a history of office culture where employees were expected to carry out their days as if they [didn’t] have families; staying late would earn you a badge of honor. Those days are now gone. The pandemic took work-life balance and turned it into a work-life milkshake. We’ve all begun to see each other more as people and less as workers. People won’t want to return to a work environment that doesn’t have the flexibility and trust that allows for true work-life harmony.” — Doug S., VP of Research and Insights at a furniture and logistics company
Flexible Schedules
“I have my son at home doing school-from-home, which means I end up helping him a lot in the morning and then doing my business work a lot more in the afternoon and evening. Everyone on our team has had to find their own schedule, and some of them have really thrived with their new patterns. We’re going to keep that focus on flexibility every after the pandemic.” — Naomi A., Chief Marketing Officer at an information technology company
A Hybrid Workweek
“As with most things, there are pros and cons to working from home. For me, there is no clear-cut winner. I am happy that I can get more accomplished by working remotely, but there is also nothing that can replace communicating with others in-person. Because of that, I would appreciate the ability to split my time between the office and working from home. On days when I need to power through a project, I want to do that from home. On other days when I need help or another person’s perspective, I want to be in the office.” — Wanny M., Marketing Associate at an AI-powered hotel guest communication platform
A Focus on Safety
“At least initially, a big concern for many employees returning to the physical workplace will be their own safety and the safety of their loved ones. Is the company returning to the office too soon? Are they putting the company before the well-being of workers? What are they doing to ensure a safe environment at the workplace? These … are the very first questions employees who have worked from home through the pandemic will expect answers to.” — Dave P., a software developer-turned-parenting blogger
Revamped Perks
“Companies will need to evaluate all of their perks to ensure they are providing their employees with the best options. [Benefits and perks at our start-up studio] are designed to remove some of the hassles of everyday life …. For example, once a month, our employees get a housecleaning stipend and their house or apartment is cleaned on us. With employees spending more time sitting at desks, we also invested in more ergonomic equipment to accommodate employees.” — David K., founder of a San Francisco-based start-up studio