Although compelling employees to rejoin in-person facilities has proven to be a challenge, a well-planned workplace experience can alleviate remaining concerns.
After two years of remote or hybrid work plans, many companies are now finding resistance as they start to implement a full-scale return to office plan.
The desire to work from home, and cut out commuting time entirely, has only strengthened as the pandemic has lingered. Many have learned to become increasingly comfortable with remote interactions. Tight labor markets are also challenging for companies seeking a full-time return to the office for their employees as those same employees have shown a greater willingness to leave for other opportunities that align with their preferences.
Recent polling data uncovered that many workers want a partial return to the office, at most. Among a survey of 5,000 Americans, employees still want to be able to work from home an average of 2.5 days a week — or half the time. Nearly 80% of respondents wanted to work at least one day a week from home and a third said they’d prefer a fully-remote work experience.
But even with the pandemic’s hold lessening and public life returning to ‘normal’ in many parts of society, some of the biggest corporations in the world are still struggling to pave the way for a smooth return to the office plan, take Apple, for example. There, employees expressed a strong resistance to a recent hybrid work plan that would begin with a mandatory one-day-week hybrid plan.
It’s clear that every organization trying to get their staff back into their office or facilities more often needs to highlight the utility, necessity, and comfort of the space. Companies need to demonstrate they’re committed to providing the best possible environment for their workers and remove as much doubt as possible about the value of their workspaces. From hospitals to arenas and everywhere in between. Jani-King of Cleveland services every business space imaginable.
Feature Your Workspace as Part of Your Return to Work plan
As shown above, companies shouldn’t expect an effortless or enthusiastic response to a full-fledged return to the office plan to happen immediately. But there are a number of steps and ways to make the collective workspace be seen as a benefit, or encourage a return.
Be Flexible
If your organization is invested in a traditional model, but most of your workforce wants to stay remote, then a compromise may be in order. Considering establishing a new normal with a hybrid model, or ways for employees to carve out some flexibility.
For example, if commuting (and rush hour traffic) is a pain point for employees, consider some flexibility when they can come into work. A later, or earlier, start time could alleviate some of those commuting hassles. You could designate one or two ‘remote’ days per week. Or, you could incentivize employees and use remote work privileges as a reward for exceptional performance.
Culture Considerations
Rebuilding the company culture could be a necessity given the length of time your team has been fully or partially remote. What kind of environment and values do you want for your employees? What’s going to keep them together? A return to office plan gives your organization an opportunity to reevaluate core values, and brainstorm more ways to encourage camaraderie and more bonding in your workspace. Consider more frequent breaks, or the freedom to schedule them more loosely. Work in more team building events. You have a chance to reinforce what makes your workplace unique.
Make the Office a More Attractive Place to Be
If the physical office is made more attractive to employees, the transition back could be more appealing — or at least more tolerable. While it is convenient to work from home, not everyone has a pristine home office from which to do their work. The space itself, the cleanliness and upkeep, and other amenities of an office or workspace could be appealing for those who have spent months working from a corner of their bedroom or living room.
With proper and consistent cleaning services, your office could be a welcome respite from the clutter and bustle of a home-office setup. Better office equipment, a well-stocked break room, and a clean environment all will lead to more comfortable experiences for employees, support high productivity, and alleviate hesitation about returning to work.
Investing in regular professional cleaning services can make the office more attractive, promote better interactions and performance, and can even lead to healthier workers.
Properly managing the cleanliness and upkeep of the space is crucial since most employees are happier and more productive in a clean environment. When you entrust your office to professional cleaning staff, ensure they’re equipped with the right cleaning tools for the job, from disinfecting high touch areas to using the right cleaning products. Long-Term Service: A consistent, well-organized approach to commercial cleaning saves money, heads off potential problems, and more.
Jani-King of Cleveland has Solutions for Your Return to Office Plan
A facility that looks clean, smells clean, and IS clean will equate to a safer environment for many. Prove to your employees their presence is valued and don’t let unclean or unsafe work environments contribute to hesitancy to embrace a return to office plan.
For more than three decades, Jani-King of Cleveland has used a proven franchise model and an unflinching commitment to effective and up-to-date cleaning and disinfecting tools and techniques to deliver top-end service to customers. Those capabilities, with our industry-leading experience and the Double Check system of our franchise model, offer unparalleled service and performance.
Jani-King of Cleveland’s commercial cleaning services offers you the chance to work with experts in the field to produce a cleaner, more professional, and healthier workspace for your employees and customers. We provide an extensive list of services including:
- Disinfecting services
- Daily contract cleaning
- Buffing, stripping and waxing of floors
- Carpet cleaning
- Grout and other detail cleaning
- Porter services
- Commercial kitchen cleaning
- Deep scrubbing of restrooms and locker facilities
Beyond cleaning, Jani-King of Cleveland has also partnered with Hyscent to improve the indoor air quality of your work environment. Hyscent products use easy-to-install and safe scent infusion products to improve the overall ambience of your space, combat malodors, and provide a more pleasing environment for everyone who visits or works in the area.
Connect with Jani-King of Cleveland today to secure the services needed to augment and improve your return to office plan.
