RTO is meant mainly for two things: collaboration and team culture.
We’ve heard the shpeel before – “collaboration leads to increased productivity, leading to efficiency”… yada yada. Oddly enough, I don’t think anyone disagrees with that logic. In a perfect world, in-person time spent together is priceless.
And yet, I haven’t seen a single company convey that message in an empowering way. More often than not, RTO is seen as the exact opposite – a mandate. An immovable decision that leads to consequences if not obeyed.
Why is it seen that way? I suspect from two things:
- Companies spend more time communicating the rules than the benefits.
- The aforementioned ‘rules’ lack a tone of empathy and flexibility.
To solve for this, it comes down to a simple idea – willingness.
Think of it this way: from an employee standpoint, willingness is paramount to maximizing collaboration and team culture (the very reasons why we’re talking about RTO in the first place). If I have to force you to take part in the team project, chances are, you won’t be the most fruitful teammate.
Same goes for team culture. You have to want to be here, to want to grow the team identity.
Here’s where companies miss though – there must be an equal signal of willingness from companies.
Willingness in the form of an inviting team office. You want me to drive an extra hour each day to commute? Make it worth driving to! A Keurig machine and a questionable microwave don’t count as culture. If anything, it demoralizes. Be willing to invest in a more fun atmosphere.
Team lunches are a great start. Spend a few extra bucks catering lunch in. For the cost alone, you earn back in positive morale and incentivizing for folks to stay past lunch. Plus, what better way to get to know someone than to share a meal with them.
Willingness also in the form of flexibility. Shit happens. Life happens. Whether it’s traffic, childcare, sickness, vacation, it doesn’t matter. Be a company that is willing to help. I am a firm believer that the employee must make the first move (to advocate, to vocalize concern), but an equal willingness from the company to hear out and ultimately to help create an individualized plan is vital.
With these two small examples (lunch and flexibility), you almost directly solve the points above:
- Catered lunch highlights a key benefit of RTO
- Individualized plans strike a tone of empathy and action
Ultimately, there must be an equal exchange of willingness.
Only then do both company and employee feel heard and appreciated. Once that bridge of trust is formed, any future roadblock is solvable.
Years ago during the height of COVID lockdown, I created a culture-rooted meeting called “Good Vibes Friday”. The intent was to inspire spontaneity and camaraderie in a time of despair and boredom. Early on, I thought it would be best to make attendance mandatory. The more, the merrier on a Friday afternoon.
After a relatively awkward start, I was quick to make some changes.
Attendance flipped to optional, and the time went from 1 hour at 2 PM to 30 min at 12 PM. Willingness on my part to change the rules sparked a much more engaged forum.
Did I get as high of a turnout? Of course not. It may not even exist today. But in that span of 1-2 years, that equal exchange of willingness made some of my favorite memories.