The Evie-dence: Employees need to go back to a reimagined office 

This September, Amazon Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy announced that starting in January, Amazon would be ending its remote work policy and requiring staff to be on site for 5 days per week. According to a memo sent to staff from Jassy, the goal is to make it easier for staff to “invent, collaborate, and be connected enough to each other and our culture to deliver the absolute best for customers and the business.” Amazon is not alone in their mission to bring employees back, though. In 2022, Telsa Chief Executive Officer also ordered that employees must be in office for at least 40 hours per week and anything less would be considered a resignation. Despite the pushback that these employers have received, many executives continue to be proponents of in office work, and for good reason.  

While hybrid work has no drastic impact on productivity levels, a 2021 study showed that fully remote work can yield a productivity decrease of around 20%. Coupled with that, post-pandemic working hours have increased by 30%, including an 18% increase in hours worked after normal business hours. This means that remote employees are not only less productive, but they are also experiencing an imbalance between work and life, as work starts to creep into their home. A home should be a place for relaxation and devotion to your personal health or family, but the home has become less of a safe space and more like an office.  

Additionally, those who are fully remote or hybrid are missing key career development aspects of being in office. Findings in a working paper by economists from universities and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York show that working from home has a disproportionate negative impact on junior level employees. Distance between employees and remote work has caused a decline in the amount and quality of feedback that these young employees receive. Without mentorship and a networking opportunities, new employees might not be able to produce quality results and lose opportunities for growth.  

The detrimental social effects of remote work cannot be ignored either. Though remote work can make it easier for families with children, some employees reported that because of the lack of social-emotional support, they feel socially isolated, guilty and emotionally exhausted, according to Microsoft’s 2022 New Future of Work Report. Employees need to create a support system and peer relationships in their workplace so that they can improve their well-being and prevent burnout.  

Now all of this is not to say that things should go back to exactly how they were pre-pandemic and the remote work explosion. CEO’s that are ordering employees back to the office may have pure intentions for employee and company well-being, but it is important to recognize the ways in which the office can be improved so that we can capitalize on the return to work.  

Google is a fantastic example of a company that has mastered the office set up which will make in-person work desirable. Not only do Google office buildings offer cafes, kitchens and open-air informal work settings, but they also have a completely flexible formal work setup. Employees have collaborative tables and customizable desk setups to encourage communication and teamwork throughout the day. They’ve found that fostering spontaneous meeting places and conversations has been much more conducive to idea generation.  

Google has also prioritized employee physical and emotional health. To keep Googler’s bodies healthy, they offer treadmill desks, bicycles and gardens for employees to grow their own vegetables. To feed the mind, Google offers nap pods where people can refresh, and they’ve even researched the impact of paint colors on emotions.   

With all of this in mind, it comes as no surprise that Google has consistently been named one of the top 100 best places to work for over a decade.  

Over the past few years since the pandemic, we have seen the ways in which remote work has changed office culture and exposed parts of the system that need to be reorganized. Instead of protesting the return to office, employees and executives should be advocating for a renewed space that makes employees excited to go into the office. Employees shouldn’t feel existential dread when they wake up to go to work. When employers can combat burnout and increase collaboration, they create an environment where employees look forward to going to work each day. Only then can great things happen.