It's a myth people don't want to return to the office—but there are conditions.
The debate about return to office rages on—workers are demanding flexibility and threatening to quit if they have to come back full time, and companies are increasingly insisting on in-person presence.
People want hybrid and remote work, and organizations are grappling with how to sustain culture, performance and hold onto great talent. Unfortunately, there is a constant stream of misinformation which gets in the way of making good decisions about new models for work and the role of the workplace.
But data can help. Looking past the headlines and sound-bytes, there is good evidence which can separate truth from fiction and myth from reality.
8 Myths—And the Realities
#1 – People Don’t Want to Come Back
It is true that many people don’t want to come back to the office they had (think: mazes of gray cubes), and many people don’t want to return to a model where they work in the office nine to five Monday through Friday.
In reality though, people are happy to come back to the office for some period of time each week or each month. Statistically, people are happier when they have a sense of connection with others and a sense of purpose. People want to matter—and work and the workplace offer the opportunity to contribute skills, talents and capabilities. The office also provides visibility to others and reminders of how the work is connected to that of colleagues, customers and the bigger mission of the business.
#2 – Tech Workers Don’t Want to Come Back
Tech workers receive a lot of focus because they make up such a large proportion employees. Tech is the largest driver of the U.S. economy, second only to healthcare, and tech workers comprise 7.9% of the U.S. labor force. They’re young and highly paid with 46% being under 40 and making, on average, 85% more than other workers.
But contrary to popular opinion, tech workers don’t want to work in their basements and never leave home. According to a study by Eden, they definitely want flexibility and they prefer to have the ability to work remotely some of the time, but not all the time. In fact, 34% prefer to work in an office full time. And tech workers say if they’re away from the office too much, they miss community and camaraderie (44%), have difficulty communicating (35%) and they miss opportunities for mentorship (26%).
Returning to the office holds benefits for people and organizations.
#3 – Gen Z Doesn’t Want to Come Back
Gen Z is also a focus. As they join the workforce, they bring new ideas, new energy and represent the future of work. But they too are perceived as wanting to work from home for the rest of time. However, the reality is they’re craving connections, mentorship and the career growth that comes from building social capital and ensuring visibility.
Anecdotally, executive leaders report some Gen Z workers don’t want to consider a job where there isn’t an opportunity to come to an office. Young employees are suffering from loneliness and isolation, and recognize that their mental health and even their career advancement are linked with having meaningful relationships with mentors, leaders and colleagues.
In addition, research by LiveCareer and Oyster tell an interesting story about Gen Z’s preferences. A large proportion (69%) of the youngest generation want flexibility in when, where and how they work, but according to the Oyster survey, they also rate the opportunity for career development as the most important attribute of work—something they get from being present in the office. In addition, according to the LiveCareer survey, 44% of Gen Z want job security—to be on the proverbial radar and build relationships with those who make the decisions about pay, retention, layoffs and promotions.
#4 – Face-to-Face Doesn’t Matter
It’s a myth that work is the same when there is no face-to-face element. Of course, people can be successful working at a distance and the best of hybrid is a both-and, in which people have time to work away from the office and also within the office.
But face-to-face communication still matters and it makes work less transactional and more meaningful. It’s the way we make friends (at work), according to new research on relationships from Fisherman’s Friend and famous British anthropologist, Robin Dunbar. And having a best friend at work contributes to better job satisfaction, fulfillment, retention and mental health.
In addition, a new study by MIT examining the effects of face-to-face interactions and knowledge flow, found when people had more in-person interactions and meetings, they tended to produce more effective work outcomes. Specifically, workers in Silicon Valley who interacted face-to-face received significantly more patent citations—a clear measure of innovation, results and job prestige. The study found that if in-person meetings were reduced by 25%, patent citations would in turn be reduced by 8%.
#5 – Productivity Isn’t Affected
Plenty of companies have reported record productivity over the last couple years, but it’s also necessary to consider the bigger issue of performance. For some organizations, they’re producing more, but they’ve also seen record levels of attrition and a decline in engagement and innovation—which have been costly tradeoffs.
In fact, evidence on productivity says some work can certainly be done alone, remotely or at a distance. Research by Maastricht University and Erasmus University found when people were doing work which was routine or more repetitive, online efforts were satisfactory. But when the work was more complex, collaborative or required problem solving or speed, in-person was the superior way to work.
Another study featured in the Journal of Labor Economics found people tended to perform better when they were working with others who performed well. There was a positive spillover effect based on the emotional contagion of rolling up sleeves, sharing common goals and picking up on the energy of others united in a task.
People want to come back to a great experience that earns the commute.
#6 – Career Advancement Isn’t Compromised
Many companies are taking measures to create more equity in job development and pay progression. They want to ensure people aren’t disadvantaged in their career progression if they work from home—and this is terrific. It will be easier to accomplish at companies which are all remote. But if organizations are honest, it will be tough to fully realize when there is the option for people to be in-person together.
People tend to build relationships more easily based on proximity. Just seeing someone tends to foster familiarity, acceptance and a sense of trust. These can be built from a distance as well, but the nature of human interaction means they’re developed more quickly and more deeply when face-to-face interactions are possible.
Something else to keep in mind is engagement. Research from the Association for Psychological Science found engagement, satisfaction and productivity are correlated and tend to reinforce each other. When you’re more engaged, you tend to be more satisfied with work and more productive. And when you’re more productive, you tend to be more satisfied and engaged. Coming into the office may help avoid the distractions of home or the limitations of technology—enhancing engagement, job satisfaction and productivity. All of these bode well for getting noticed for great performance and growing your credibility and career over time.
#7 – The Office Doesn’t Need to Change
Myths abound about the office—that it doesn’t need to change. Or that people will do all their focused work at home, and they’ll just need a collaborative clubhouse environment at the office.
In reality, work has changed and the office will need to change as well. The office will need to earn the commute. Not everyone has the right circumstances to focus at home. In addition, work tends to flow from focusing alone to collaborating together, so it’s unrealistic to think all your focused work can happen at home on Mondays while your collaborative work can happen in the office on Tuesdays. Offices need to offer places for people to focus, collaborate, learn, socialize and rejuvenate.
People need plenty of choice about where, when and how they work. And greater levels of choice are scientifically correlated with better engagement, satisfaction, performance and happiness. But people also need to be able to choose an office that inspires them, connects them with colleagues and leaders and enables them to do their best work.
#8 – Companies Shouldn’t Tell People What To Do
Many organizations are resisting setting firm guidelines for when, where and how people should return to the office, because they don’t want to upset people or lose them to another company. But this may actually work to companies’ detriment—and be less rewarding for people as well. People want to work for an organization where they are valued, and they want to know their contribution matters. When companies aren’t clear about the ways they need and value employees’ contributions, they’re losing the opportunity to reinforce and recognize people and to foster engagement. Giving people choices is wise—good for people’s wellbeing and performance and for companies’ results. But it’s also a good idea to be clear about expectations.
In addition, when people are left without guardrails about when, where and how to work, every day is a potential decision point about whether to go into the office. Every day requires planning and coordination with teammates about who will be in the office and whether the collaboration and connection will be worth leaving home. Better is a practice where companies set guardrails. Perhaps people work from home Mondays and Fridays, but they are asked to be in the office Tuesday through Thursday. Or maybe leaders of departments who work together can establish two days a week when people from those departments are in the office together. Of course, people will still have flexibility for an appointment here or there, but in general, people know what to expect and can reduce the friction of constant orchestration for where work will occur.
In Sum
The landscape of work is shifting fundamentally, and the future is bright for new models of work and workplaces. The opportunity to reinvent and reimagine work will have terrific payoffs for both employees and organizations. But success will require intentionality—balancing a great employee experience with clear expectations. And creating places where people want to show up and do their best work.
