Give Your Employees a Great Reason to RTO

Remember 2019 before we’d ever heard the phrase COVID-19 and toilet paper became scarce and a premium item? Back then we got up in the morning, grabbed a quick shower, downed a cup of coffee and made the commute to an office without thinking much of it. We sat at our desks or in our cubicles, logging 40+ hours a week. Of course, today it’s a very different world.

According to a recent article in Forbes, in 2019, fewer than 6% of Americans worked primarily from home. By May 2020, about 35% of the workforce were logging into their computers from their kitchen tables or home offices. 

Today, 12.7% of full-time employees work from home, while 28.2% work in a hybrid model. By 2025, an estimated approximately 22% of the workforce will be working remotely. And a recent survey showed that 57% of workers would look for a new job if their current company didn’t allow remote work.

How do you feel about returning to office (RTO)? 

RTO is a hot topic today and one that most employers and employees are wrangling with. There are a variety of solutions but one of the biggest factors to consider has less to do with where your employees work and more to do with how they respond to the new work environment alternatives. 

In other words, instead of trying to manage the fall-out of return to work, why not create an opportunity for your teams to return to connection, return to values, return to play?

If you’re going to require employees to return to the office, it’s important to give them something meaningful to return to. And if you’re allowing employees to work remotely, the need to create opportunities for team building experiences and a sense of purpose may be even more important. (In a recent survey 53% of remote workers said it’s harder to feel connected to their coworkers.)

Whether your company requires RTO, allows employees to work from home or provides a hybrid approach, now more than ever, it’s essential to encourage employee engagement. And it’s not enough to attach your mission statement to a whiteboard in a video chat. Companies who want to attract and retain productive team members must find ways to live out their values and use them as a daily rudder in their effort to reach their mission. 

One way to demonstrate aligned values is to intentionally bring employees together to review your vision, mission, values, and strategy. Offering a deeper experience that requires hands-on involvement can provide an incredibly meaningful element to those gatherings. 

Here’s a great example.

Recently, Gates Corporation, a global manufacturer based in Denver, brought 105 of its global executives together for a week-long summit in Denver, Colorado. Yes, they were in meetings from 9-5, but to break up the week, they set aside time in the middle of the week to participate in a community development event with Wish for Wheels. For the afternoon, C-level execs from around the world paired up with team members from different regions to build bikes that were gifted to Title 1 second graders. As they attached the forks and wheels, tightened handlebars, affixed pedals, and adjusted seats, the room filled with energy, fun, and joy. For that time, they set aside the stress of managing large P&Ls and 100s of thousands of employees to focus on building bikes and having a great time together all for a meaningful purpose.  

Ready to create your own return to play opportunity? Start planning your Team Build & Give event now. Contact us here.