The Great Disconnect: How Employers Can Bring Employees Back to Their Desks

It’s been over two years since the pandemic hit the world. Now, companies want their employers back in the office. But employees are unwilling to give up the comfort of working from home, creating the Great Disconnect. OSlash recently conducted a study to understand how employers can resolve the disconnect and get employees back to the office. Check out the findings here.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, most companies were forced to go remote. As the threat slowly subsides, more companies want their employees to return to the office. Business leaders like Elon Musk have also warned their employees to get back to the physical workspace or quit. One problem â€” most people are used to the comfort of working remotely and do not want to go back to the office. According to ADP Research InstituteOpens a new window , 64% of employees would consider looking for a new job if they were expected to return to work. This has led to a â€œGreat Disconnect.â€

So, how can companies resolve the disconnect and get their staff back to the desk? OSlash recently surveyed work-from-home (WFH) employees to understand their working style and intent to return to the office. Simultaneously, the company surveyed business leaders to understand the importance of having employees in the office and how they plan to bring their staff back to their office desks.

Here are a few insights.

See more: Return-to-Work Policies Are Leading To Increased Stress Levels

â€œNetflix and Chillingâ€ Comes at a Cost

Most people are guilty of doing something like watching a Netflix series or YouTube videos or even browsing Instagram while working from home. In essence, there are always distractions when working from home. While this may make employees content, how much money is the employer losing?

The study found that employees wasted significant work time exercising, streaming music or TV, and cleaning. A few workday activities attracted different generations. For example, Millennials were more likely to spend their work hours watching adult content. On the other hand, Gen Xers were more likely to spend their work hours running errands. Gen Z employees were more likely to spend their work hours juggling multiple jobs. In fact, 72% of respondents had more than one job, spending about 16 hours a week at that job.

While some things like cleaning and running household errands are understandable, watching TV, investing in crypto, streaming adult content, or taking illicit drugs can get you caught. And each of these distractions comes at a cost to the employer. For example, 35% of employees streamed TV. An average of 104 work minutes were spent each week on this activity, which cost the employer about $2,251 per employee. Similarly, drinking alcohol during work hours would cost the employer about $1,200 per employee.

Time spent and money lost when working from home

Source: 2022 OSlash SurveyOpens a new window

People Miss the Freedom By Returning to Work

When people have so much comfort at home, why would they want to return to the physical workspace? Looking a little deeper, what would people miss the most if they returned to the office, and what can employers offer them to come back?

About 28% of employees said they would miss exercising. The same percentage said they would miss streaming music, while 26% would miss family time. About 23% said they would miss cleaning, and the same percentage said they would miss using their own bathrooms. Of course, many people hate commuting to work. About 24% said they would miss the lack of commute. The need for this flexibility is so much that 78% of employees said they were willing to take a pay cut to continue working from home. This is supported by another study where 65% of the respondents were willing to take a pay cut to work remotely.Â

So, what would motivate them to get back to work? While people are willing to take a pay cut to stay at home, they are also looking for financial incentives to return to the office. About 48% of the WFH employees surveyed said they wanted more money. Many sought at least a $500 bonus to return to in-office work. About 39% wanted flexible scheduling, while 38% wanted free food. About 35% wanted a four-day workweek, and 30% wanted a hybrid work schedule.

Employers Are Willing To Compromiseâ€¦ But Not Much

Companies may want their staff to return to the office, but not all are desperate for their current employees. So, how much are employers willing to pay their employees to return? Are they prepared to lose their employees by demanding they return to work?

According to business leaders, remote workers had the highest morale, whereas on-site employees were the most productive. Yet, over 33% of organizations saw remote workers as more expendable than in-office employees. And since hiring new talent is expensive, most of them were willing to offer incentives to get the staff to return to work.

The most common incentive was flexibility. About 62% were willing to offer employees a hybrid work schedule, while 56% were willing to provide a hybrid work schedule. About 50% were willing to offer a four-day workweek, and 42% were prepared to provide more money.

Incentive companies are willing to offer to lure employees back to their desks

Source: 2022 OSlash SurveyOpens a new window

All that said, employees should not push their luck. About 57% of employers were content with their employees quitting instead of returning to the office. About 12% even admitted using the return-to-work mandate to terminate workers without having to lay them off. So, be mindful before expecting too much in terms of incentives for returning to work.

See more: Considering Return to Work? Time to Re-imagine Your Workspace and Technology

Striking a Balance Between Profits and Freedom

The last 2.5 years may look like employees had all the fun and enjoyed the flexibility of working from home while organizations had to pay the price. Reasons like lower productivity and wasted work hours may be leading to a push for workers to return to the office. But spending hours in the traffic and then eight hours at their office desks with minimal breaks does not feel worth the pay for many workers anymore. Companies can only offer so much as incentives before costs outgrow the gains.

This means the future of the workplace hangs in the balance. But as more organizations experiment with hybrid work models and four-day workweeks, remote workers can continue enjoying some freedom. With more workers back in the physical workspace, companies should be able to see their productivity improve, re-establishing positive returns for their investments in their employees. Due to a healthy work-life balance, employees, too, will be productive and more focused, leading to increased employer profits. Hence, despite the uncertainties in the workplace over the last two years, life after â€œThe Great DisconnectOpens a new window â€ may become a win-win for employers and employees.

What steps have you taken to ensure your employees return to work? Share with us on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .