A starting point is to reexamine what defines a thriving workplace and workforce in 2024. Figuring out which strategies can best achieve their objectives, by reframing RTO mandates as experimental tools, gives employers a clean slate. Remembering that some employees were required to work outside of the office before the pandemic may also help put things in perspective.
Assumptions about working from home, such as the effectiveness of remote work, need to be evaluated and should be addressed to avoid reinforcing any stereotypes. For women who prefer a home office, dispelling any notions about reduced productivity can be important to helping them secure pay increases and bonuses.
Employers need to be fully versed on remote work challenges and have a defined business case for an onsite requirement, so they can make constructive decisions about RTO mandates. Remote work policies and practices are an important topic right now that's actively studied, and staying current on findings may help guide better decisions.
Investment in team building
Investing in office culture and team building is always important, but it's crucial for companies as they reconsider their supporting policies and practices. Meaningful opportunities to engage and connect help employees feel more committed to their jobs, their colleagues and the organization.
If most employees who are eligible for remote work strongly prefer it, empowering them to connect and support each other is a strategic imperative, wherever they're located. Managers are a lynchpin of success because they set the tone by modeling productive behaviors. Checking in with direct reports regularly, encouraging catch-up calls and email exchanges among colleagues, and promoting other ways of engaging are pivotal. Encouraging these practices also sends a valuable message. People learn that building rapport is an important part of the employee experience.
Appealing to the better nature of leaders
It's important to keep in mind that returning to the office requires giving up conveniences and efficiencies, which may be highly valuable to employees. But employers can prepare them for a smoother transition by openly acknowledging the potential difficulties they face in returning to the office. Accenting what employees gain from making this change, whether their schedule is full time or hybrid, recognizes and respects the potential challenges of adapting.
One concern about fully remote work is that connecting and mentoring have become more difficult, especially in the absence of a culture that prioritizes and facilitates building bonds. Solutions do exist, though, such as encouraging more established employees to mentor younger workers. These mentors also receive guidance, emphasizing the value of personal as well as organizational growth provided by the process.
Women at work often have a strong interest in mentorship for the career value this experience can provide. Studies have found that successful mentoring increases retention rates for female employees, assists them in obtaining promotions, boosts their self-confidence and work engagement, and minimizes feelings of isolation.2 However, employers should be cautious about positioning mentoring as an activity that's restricted to the organization's office environment.
The opportunity for women leaders who work onsite to help prepare the next generation for expanded roles is a persuasive argument for an RTO mandate. And some see it as a responsibility. Structured mentoring promotes consistency, but effective mentoring sessions can be virtual — requiring minimal logistics and offering broadly expanded access for participants. This alternative approach strengthens culture by reinforcing employee collaboration and team building on a larger scale. Interconnecting people in this way, for this purpose, also creates cohesion.
Encourage grassroots cultural contributions
Strategic design for a modern workforce and culture should leave room for improvisation. New and different ways of communicating and collaborating, aligned with changing employee preferences, now require a more fluid approach. By encouraging grassroots contributions to find better ways of working and improve cultural experiences, organizations can bridge the gap between employee and employer preferences.
Empowering grassroots developments also helps employers avoid a potential downside to their collaboration efforts. Connectedness and collaboration are generally considered positive and productive pursuits — but only within certain limits. Over-engineering the pursuit of these goals may actually overwhelm employees, particularly the many working women who are balancing personal obligations. An excess of connectedness can actually lead to burnout, resentment and a reluctance to comply with an RTO mandate.
Grassroots contributions avoid potential complications. They discourage employers from pushing employees beyond productive boundaries, and instead foster an environment that promotes work-life integration and wellbeing.
Crafting better policies by listening to employees
Employee engagement is the most important people metric for determining an organization's future business success.3 As employers build their work culture in 2024 and beyond, listening more closely to the workforce and making refinements based on feedback is imperative. Pulse surveys can be an excellent method for measuring engagement in between more comprehensive data collection efforts, offering insights into current trends.
Data should be segmented by gender, along with other key characteristics typically tracked, such as age, career level and location. This step allows employers to more precisely determine whether the mandate is creating any tension with employees, especially women at work, so they can identify the sources and rectify issues.
Customizing an RTO mandate and cultural initiatives based on data findings is key. Understanding the importance of this information link is also crucial for testing work configurations and determining the best approach for both the organization and its employees. Through trust and collaboration — an integral part of a thoughtful and intentional culture — it's possible to transcend physical work locations. A positive work environment can then be defined by the experiences that make employees feel supported and valued, wherever they take place.
