EPISODE 504: Going back to the office?
Business is moving ahead. The pandemic is loosening its’ grip. Masks are no longer required for vaccinated people in many situations. I’m sure you are seeing more cars on the road like I am and hearing of more people returning to the office in some format.
Here are the variety of worker situations I see. Where do you fit?
People who have to go to work to do their job. This includes essential workers and that ranges from public safety to health care and encompasses manufacturing, retail, and service industries. These folks can’t work from home. While we are all hearing about “everyone” working from home, it’s worth a reminder that 60% of employees in our country have to be at work due to the nature of their job. That’s an easy one to wrap our heads around and they’ve not experienced any changes in their work situation.
People who can work from home or at an office, the workers that have the capacity to be flexible. My prediction is that we’ll see this model stay in a higher place of prominence because of worker desires. It’s the best of both worlds for many people. Individuals who went in 5 days a week may find themselves in the situation of being able to go in 2 or 3 days a week into the foreseeable future. Keeping that schedule is paramount to their ongoing job satisfaction.
Workers who want to go back into the office. Yes, there are plenty of people who like to go into an office. They may have a lot of family under one roof that makes job focus nigh impossible. They may like the social aspect of work and going out each day. They may be in small living quarters and not have the space for the home office except a kitchen table that for some reason other people want to eat off of at inconvenient times.
People who are required to go into an office by company preference. This is where the slope gets slippery. If a great contributor wants to have a flexible or in-home work schedule and has proven that they can do their work remotely and are being required to go back in for reasons that don’t make sense to them, there is danger ahead. These people comprise a large portion of individuals who are more likely to look to make job change.
Individuals who want to work at home 5 days a week. This arrangement and it’s conveniences and flexibility works very well for people who can work well independently and keep their focus off competing personal priorities. Most of their work is done on a computer and they have easy access to their teams via technology. Their firm fully supports this arrangement. It’s the classic win-win.
What’s going on with your situation? Are you okay with what’s happening or on the horizon for your work status? If you are considering career change, you’ll want to partner with someone who has the experience. I bring 34 years of HR to the table and have placed thousands of people in jobs at hundreds of different companies. I can help you, too. Reach out to me at brenda@brendaholley.com to schedule a free 30-minute consult.
