Optimize your team’s return to the office
Tips to optimize your team’s return to the office – and some traps to watch for
So, your team is starting to return to the office full-time or in a hybrid working model. So, now what? That’s the question most of my clients are talking about right now.
There’s not a one-size-fits-all formula for return-to-work success. Instead, for most teams, it’s different strokes for different folks.
Some employees hesitate to return to the physical office because of their long commute or introversion. Others are bored of working from their remote workstation of solitude and can’t wait to start collaborating with their colleagues face-to-face. I think the majority of folks are somewhere in the middle.
However you feel about a return to the workplace, I suggest being very deliberate if you are back in the office, whether it’s for two, three, or four days a week.
Be intentional
If you’re back in the physical office, plan to maximize the work that benefits from being in person with others. This includes the following:
interviewing
onboarding new employees
one-on-one meetings
performance reviews
important announcements (good or bad) and celebrating wins
Brainstorming sessions
The advantages of being face-to-face with people in the office include personal connection, collaboration, and a sense of community.
Know yourself
What’s your ideal work situation? Fifty percent of the population leans toward being introverted, meaning they get energized by solitude and drained being around others.
The other half needs to be with others. Some people are a bit of both.
Before returning to the office, a great starting point is to understand your preferences.
You should also know your productivity rhythms.
Some enjoy peak productivity in the morning; others shine later in the day or the evening.
If you’re a bright and early person, I’d suggest the frog model; Identify your most challenging task and do it first. If you’re not a morning person, do the opposite.
Design an optimized work schedule with a mix of in-office and remote days, so you’re using your productivity rhythms. Be strategic with how and where you work.
Do you have a sec?
Just because I’m in the office doesn’t mean I’m free to chat.
Many of us get energized by connecting and talking with others. If you’re back in the office and working alone, you may pop in to a co-worker’s office for an unannounced chat. But what if they are in a deep phase of productivity?
Ask before you talk. Do you have 10 minutes? Even micro interactions slow productivity, so it’s about being aware of your impact.
Similarly, don’t feel pressure to make the morning rounds. Again, these interactions are part of culture building but can also be a big time-waster. And the whole idea is to be productive there.
If you’re a manager, your door should be closed at certain times so you can work without interruptions. Rather than having an open-door policy, it´s better to have an open-mind policy; tell your team there will be times when you are unavailable during the day because you’re focusing, but when your door is open, you’ll give them your undivided attention.
Take breaks
It’s tempting to try max-out your in-office time so you may spend too much time at your desk. Remember, however, that you must renew your energy to stay sharp and focused. If you’ve been sitting for an hour, get up and move. If you’ve been in meetings and are more introverted by nature, find solitude by taking a nature walk or reading a book during your break. If you’re more extroverted and you’ve been working alone, use your break to find someone in the office who’s hard-wired like you and take a walking break and talk about the game, family, whatever.
Good habits
During the pandemic, most people probably developed new habits – some good, others bad –while working remotely.
What good habits did you develop? A daytime workout? The chance to organize your kids’ school and soccer calendar. Keep the good habits even at work. It will improve your overall productivity.
Gone are the days of feeling guilty for taking a midday yoga session or answering a call from your child’s teacher.
A bad habit that many picked up during the pandemic was work creep – no delineation between the start and stop of our workday. So, when you return, see if you can practice leaving work at work. That means not opening your laptop after dinner to get a jump on some emails or add some polish to your PowerPoint.
On a new schedule
Leaders and managers must understand that maximum and sustainable productivity is not achieved by just putting in the hours.
Ask your returning team members what they need to feel most productive. Design a schedule that feels productive and good for each team member. It’s a win-win.