Shuttered Companies Now Welcoming Workers Back to Office

Pittsburgh, PA (WorkersCompensation.com) --  Four-day weekends, Zoom calls, hybrid schedules. All have become standard operating procedures for many businesses and their employees since the pandemic. But a recent survey by ResumeBuilder reports that 77 percent of US companies will welcome workers back to the office, and 67 percent plan to open more offices in six months. 

“The pandemic forever changed the way business operates, but having employees back in the office improves communication, productivity and creativity, ‘’ said Leroy M. Ball, CEO of Koppers. 

“We will always have some kind of hybrid work schedule because some 70 percent of our workers are on the job because we make products,’’ said Ball.  Koppers is a global chemical and materials company based in Piitsburgh, Pa., in a 1920’s art-deco skyscraper.

But Ball was quick to ad that a data input worker, for example, need not fight daily traffic to get into the office if the work does not demand interaction with other employees.

“Having workers in the office promotes better collaboration and can reduce stress levels,’’ according to Ball. 

Risa Kumazawa, an economics professor and associate dean of the business school at Duquesne University, said companies want workers back in the office  to gain advantage from in-person interaction  that can’t be measured  by productivity alone.  “Working from home can be distracting and stressful,’’ said Kumazawa.

“You simply can’t dismiss the advantages of the old water cooler effect where employees would gather to exchange news and new ideas,’’ said Lori Moran, head of Ballymoney Real Estate Services Inc.  “The human interaction in the office is critical to maintaining quality and a basic understanding of a company’s culture, ‘’ said Moran, who never opted to work remotely. 

Of the companies that currently allow workers to operate fully-remotely, the survey found that some 28 percent of companies will change their work location policy. With this upcoming change from companies that currently still allow full-time remote work, this means, 9 in 10 companies overall will require employees to come to the office more frequently. 

Moran also points out that there is an element of fulfillment one gets from returning to the office, a sense of community and belonging. But a sense of belonging doesn’t just come from being in a group, it also arises from a shared sense of social identity. And while you may feel solidarity with your yoga buddies in your sun salutations or united with your investment club friends in striving to pick the right stocks, you are most likely- according to research-to feel social identity with your team at work.   

For companies that have a hybrid model, the survey found that 16 percent require employees to come into the office four days a week, 46 percent three days a week, 27 percent two days a week, and 7 percent once a week. Additionally, 3 percent say employees must come a few times a month, and 1 percent just once a month.       

Share This Article: