By Chris Taylor

A SURPRISING NUMBER OF FIRMS ARE

ASKING WORKERS TO RETURN TO THE OFFICE
—AND MEETING PLENTY OF RESISTANCE. WILL
THERE BE A REVOLT IF LEADERS PUSH IT?

BY RUSSELL PEARLMAN
Some
companies
have asked
employees to THE PROBLEM
return to their
Some companies have asked
offices—and
are finding
employees to return to
that many their offices—and are
won’t. finding that many won’t.

WHY IT WHY IT MATTERS

F
MATTERS Many leaders believe a host of key rom the annals of Harvard
Many leaders jobs are not effective when done Business Review to the
believe a host remotely, hurting operations. teachings of former CEOs
of key jobs are and board members,
not effective THE SOLUTION there has always been a wealth of well-
when done Special communications and regarded books, case studies, and seminars
remotely, strong leadership, combined with about motivating employees to work. But the
hurting top safety protocols, are needed.
operations. greatest minds in business have never quite
had to deal with this: What happens if a large
chunk of loyal, hardworking staff members,
THE SOLUTION or even your entire workforce, simply refuses
Special to return to your offices? Indeed, gripped
by fear of a deadly pandemic and now fully

JON PASSMAN IS,

comfortable working at home for months,
employees at all ranks are openly questioning
a host of companies’ little-publicized plans
to reopen offices—plans that CEOs and other
in many ways, a great corporate leaders see as a critical step for returning to
employee. Since he started at his current normal operations. Experts worry that cor-
employer in 2017, he has trained three soft- porate leaders don’t recognize the extent all
ware project teams from scratch to support this may reach, and already in recent weeks
a successful multimillion-dollar product they’ve had to unravel some plans, hoping to
launch. When he isn’t training others, avoid more friction from workers. For Jacob
he’s managing 20 software coders across Vigdor, a public affairs professor at the Uni-
several states and two countries. versity of Washington and researcher at the
Even the pandemic didn’t really slow National Bureau of Economic Research, it’s
him down; since mid-March, working from all very complicated and unnerving. “There’s
a desk in his laundry room in suburban not a single action that you can take that will
Chicago, he and his team have made all satisfy everybody,” he says.
their deadlines. “I feel like I haven’t missed At a minimum, the likelihood of all this
a step,” he says. mounting is only growing. Although head-
But right now, there’s one thing the lines are focusing on firms that will be work-
47-year-old says he will not do for his ing remotely for the long term, a significant
employer: go back to the office. It’s not number of organizations are moving in the
about having to wear a mask all the time other direction. Big-name firms in key sectors
(he can do that) or having to commute like finance and retail, along with parts of
again (it’s only 20 minutes each way) or the federal government, are reopening home
having to social distance from his cowork- offices and branches, albeit in stages and
ers. It’s his kids he’s worried about. His with heavy modifications. In one recent Korn
14-year-old daughter is spending at least her Ferry survey, more than a fifth of profession-
first semester of high school online, and als said they were going to be back in the
he’s uncomfortable leaving her, let alone office after Labor Day, while another 31 per-
his 11-year-old son, home alone all day. His cent said it was possible. These firms were
company hasn’t given anyone any deadlines working on safety protocols and emphasizing
yet about returning to the office, but Pass- that they want only volunteers to come back
man has no doubts what he’d say now. “If first. But experts say employees who fear for
they were to demand that I come back their career advancement prospects, or even
tomorrow, I would have to say no,” he says. their jobs, will feel pressure to come back.

29
THE
FLEXIBLE MENTAL DATA-BASED
WORK HEALTH EMPLOYEE

FUTURE
SCHEDULES UPGRADES METRICS
Many companies TOO People will be

OF WORK,
paid lip service The pandemic working dif-
to letting people has been trau- ferent hours in
work remotely matic for nearly different places.

AFTER When asked what they most looked

but frowned everyone, and The best way to
upon it in many companies evaluate them

THE
practice. Expect now will be
that attitude to
change as com-
now recognize
how their em- based on output,
not who’s in the
forward to about returning to
ployees’ mental

VACCINE
panies look for
ways to improve
state impacts
their work.
office earliest.
the office, 20% of professionals
productivity and,
eventually, use
TOUCHLESS
TECH
surveyed said “nothing.”
less real estate.
Social distancing and Companies and
mask wearing will, landlords who
hopefully, go away once LESS can afford them just one week this spring to get thousands a myriad of lawsuits” if employees were to
CORPORATE will invest in of doctors seeing patients virtually. One contract COVID-19, says Bacon.
a vaccine is developed. TRAVEL elevators, doors, week was downright slow compared to There are less obvious changes to be
Some experts, however, With every pass- and entrance what Passman, the software manager, made as well. Along with helping its clients
believe there are other ing month, the kiosks that are experienced. On a Thursday in mid-March, redesign their offices, for example, the Bos-
COVID-19-inspired hassle and time of hands-free his employer emailed him and all nearby ton-based design cooperative Bergmeyer
face-to-face meet- to use. coworkers that there has been retooling
changes that will have
ings that require was a case of COVID- its own workspace
some staying power. extensive travel 19 somewhere in to get its 85 employ-
seem wasteful in
most cases.
their office building
and they had five
HEADED BACK ees back on-site.
Some employees
minutes to pack up TO THE OFFICE SOON? volunteered to
their belongings and return early to test
get out. By Friday,
Passman was work-
22% the initial changes.
When it came to
The case on either side is easy to under- there’s a disability or family-leave issue ing effectively on Yes, we are going back video calls, the
stand. On the one hand, some employees involved, companies have wide latitude to his company-issued volunteers found
fear for their health and safety, or another
upheaval in their work-life balance. And
require people to work from a certain office
as a condition of employment. The question
laptop.
But putting all this
31% that their on-screen
images were impos-
some don’t want to go back because they’ve is, should companies be that strict? And if in reverse is going to Maybe, it’s still unknown sible to see because
found remote work is more productive. On they were, what might happen to the rest of be an entirely differ- there was so much
the other side, organizations have billions
of dollars tied up in office leases and other
the workforce? “You might want to be reason-
able,” says Christopher Bacon, a Houston-
ent matter. Sure, some
workers are eager to 47% sun coming through
the office’s massive
real estate costs they can’t easily get away based employment lawyer who works with get out of the house No, we’re working from windows. One of
from. Plus, many organizations generally do corporate clients. “It’s probably good business, and into the office, the pre-COVID
not support the concept that all work can especially if you have good employees.” for various reasons.
home for 2020 office perks—an
Source: Korn Ferry
be converted into “home work.” They and It’s well known, of course, how we got But far more fear the office with tons of
many experts believe people thrive better here. During the COVID-19 crisis, compa- risk. What’s more, natural light—was
working together face-to-face, leading to nies staged a D-Day-like campaign to get organizations must track what local gov- now a detriment to doing work in the
new products and new collaborations. “The workers home and safe, while providing ernments are allowing in terms of people in post-COVID world, says Rachel Zsembery,
casual interactions at the office actually pro- the tech support they needed to work. one place. They will also need to do some Bergmeyer’s vice president. “Taking a
vide a lot of support, both professionally and Many leaders marvel when looking back redesigning to incorporate social distanc- Zoom call in an open office is really chal-
personally, for employees,” says Mark Royal, at what their staffs did. The UK’s National ing and other measures recommended by lenging without the right equipment,” she
a senior director for Korn Ferry Advisory. Health Service, which had debated for 10 government healthcare agencies to curb the says. And those are just problems within
To some degree, experts say that unless years how telemedicine would work, took virus’s spread. Companies that don’t “risk a company’s control. Many firms have to

30 31
 E
rely on their landlords to make changes xperts say there are
to elevators, ventilation systems, and
cleaning processes (see “The COVID-19
many ways all this could
shake out, and that it’s
specific project, comes in on Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays, while another
As long as
‘Elevator Pitch’”). And there is nothing
companies can do about their workers’
possible the right steps
may reduce any employee revolt. That
set comes in on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Doing this may not only lower the risk of organizations
decide to
commute, especially if it involves public includes making some physical changes the virus spreading but also “reestablish
transportation. that emphasize health and safety, like the sense of community that the office
But the biggest issue out of corporate removing desks and chairs to make life can create,” says Korn Ferry’s Royal.
control may be schools. This spring’s
sheltering-at-home scenario was tough
social distancing easier. Hand sanitizer
dispensers are being installed in office
Or, of course, many companies
may change their minds and embrace
bring back
on everyone, with working parents often
having to juggle their assignments with
hallways and near main doorways. For
an office cafeteria, Bergmeyer designed a
working remotely. Google and Twitter
are already keeping people home. And employees
before the
keeping their kids occupied. They could placemat that diners turn over after fin- over the next two years, Fujitsu, the
be in for more of that if schools have to ishing lunch to alert cleaning personnel Japan-based technology firm, will shift
shut down again because of the virus. to wipe the table down. 80,000 of its employees to remote work
Many schools are staggering their sched-
ules, meaning some kids physically go to
Staggered work schedules are also
growing in popularity. Automotive
full-time, a move that it estimates will
cut the amount of real estate it uses in
pandemic ends,
classes on Mondays and Tuesdays while
the rest go on Wednesdays and Thurs-
companies, some of the first firms to
bring people back, are using modified
Japan by 50 percent. The government of
Barbados told its workers that they can they’re going
to have to
days. Even if that makes kids safer, it still schedules to keep fewer workers on the work remotely for a year. Facebook has
creates a dilemma for parents—do they floor and in shared spaces like cafeterias. said workers can work from anywhere
go to the office on the days their kids are The idea, experts say, can work for they want permanently, although it has
learning at home? non-production-line employees too. One
set of workers, preferably groups that
reserved the right to change someone’s
compensation based on the prevailing
convince a lot
work with one another routinely or on a wages in the employee’s region.
Most important, according to experts, of skeptics.
is to be transparent about any changes
and consistently communicate them fishing, camping, and all things out-

THE COVID-19 ‘ELEVATOR PITCH’

with employees. In practice, that means doors. The website’s office in Cheyenne,
sending emails and memos updating Wyoming, closed back in March, and
people about what’s different in the office even as many businesses around town
Elevators are posing a particularly tricky problem as companies figure out how as well as noting what hasn’t changed. have started to reopen, Wilkins doesn’t
Experts say employers should back up want to let his guard down. He’s anxious
to get employees back to the workplace. Expect some new elevator etiquette. these messages with signage in the work- going out to buy groceries and other
place reminding people to keep social necessities, so much so that he showers
distance and other safety measures. But the moment he gets back to his home.
Look for the sticker. Go four at a time. Just take the stairs. if there are still some employees who are He just doesn’t want to get anyone in his
Many landlords are Many modern elevators Though do you really fearful, give them some time. “You can’t family sick.
placing stickers on are designed to carry want to walk up 10 control when someone is going to feel He knows that things would run a
elevator floors indicating eight to 10 people. flights of steps, let alone comfortable coming back,” says Zsem- bit smoother if he were working there
where people should Consultants say they 50, to get to your office bery at Bergmeyer. again. Brainstorming and collaboration
stand, and not move should carry four at every day?
As long as organizations decide are still easier when everyone is together
from, during their ride. most, for now.
to bring back employees before the in the same room, he says, and working
pandemic ends, they’re going to have together creates a sense of collective
Shhh! Get in line. to convince a lot of skeptics like Laurie accountability. “Nevertheless,” he says, “I
Talking could transmit Cutting elevator capacity Wilkins. Wilkins works as an editor think I won’t be returning at least until
the virus in such that much could make of Call Outdoors, a website devoted to after a vaccine has been developed.” 1
a contained space. for some long waits for a
Wearing masks may free car.
become mandatory, too. 32
48 33