Personnel Today’s Post

"Employers plan to increase the number of days that staff should come into the office, research by business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK shows. The firm surveyed 603 businesses for its Business Outlook Tracker which found that 86 per cent are already demanding that employees attend the office at least some time.  Of these, around one quarter require two or three days a week in the office, while 29 per cent are mandating five days a week workplace attendance." https://lnkd.in/dpRF99TG

Office and workplace politics can sometimes be defeating, distracting and prevent you from reaching your goals. Here’s how to handle office politics like a High Performer:

#Businesses can attract people back into the office – if the offer is right... While 78 per cent of respondents still want an element of flexibility in their working week, free food, free drinks and more #SocialEvents could be key to drawing people back to more traditional #WaysOfWorking in the wake of the pandemic. 📊 The online poll, by #Recruitment firm Pertemps Network Group, showed 12 per cent of respondents said free food could help convince them to change their working habits to be based in the office. To find out more and read full news article head over to BBP Media's homepage or click the link below! 👇 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eT2vEcRs #OfficeBased #SurveyResearch #FlexibleWorking #StaffIncentives #WorkingHabits

Last week my wife paid a shiva call to one of her employees. In the Jewish tradition, after the death of a loved one, the immediate family of the deceased observes a seven day period (seven in Hebrew is “shiva”) of mourning when they remain at home, pause from work and their ordinary lives, and receive friends and other community visitors. The only wrinkle here is that my wife’s employee was in Boston, and we live in New Jersey. So my wife took a 7:30 AM Amtrak train up to Boston, spent about an hour with her employee, and then took the 2 PM train back to New Jersey. Even though it was an enormous effort, she said that she was so glad that she went. Our initial reaction to this substantial effort for such a short visit might be disbelief or surprise. Is this really necessary? Wouldn’t a Zoom call or phone call accomplish the same purpose? Why is it so important to attend the shiva in person? I think there are a few lessons in this story for our work lives. The first is, no matter how sophisticated our technology becomes, there is no replacement for face to face human interaction. As our workplaces evaluate hybrid, remote, and in person work policies, we should keep in mind that there is truly no replacement for being physically in the same space with your co-workers. And simply having a shared physical office is not enough; we need to maximize the time that we are together in the office to make the most of it. When I am in the office, rather than picking up the phone to call a coworker I usually hoof it down to my colleague’s office to talk face to face. After all, isn’t that the whole point of coming in? Another point relates to the nature of work and the relationship between coworkers.  We all work in businesses or organizations that are about budgets, workplace policies and politics, and delivering products or services.  And indeed, those are essential components of our work lives. But in order to function at the highest level, our workplaces also need to be a place where there is mutual respect and care for each other, where we recognize each other not just as producers of a product but as human beings. Taking time out to recognize this, instead of negatively impacting our work output, is actually an essential part of developing a high functioning team that produces the best possible result.

The latest from our Mid-January newsletter... 💼 How are Office Managers bringing people back to the workplace? PA Show Spring exhibitor Foodles answers the question! More than four years after employees were encouraged to work remotely, many continue to do so. While some companies are content to operate with their staff working from home, others actively seek to bring employees back on-site, using mandated in-office days or offering perks as incentives. 👉 Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/eXii3Vyk 🎟️ Register now: https://lnkd.in/e3Xea784 #PAShowSpring2025 #OfficeManagement #HybridWork #WorkplaceCulture

After Manchester United bosses order workers back into the office because of a 20% drop in emails, People Management magazine rightly asks - 'are there more accurate ways to track organisational output?' https://lnkd.in/eCfymY7e

Organizations across the country are mandating back-in-the-office for employees; some 3 days, some 4 days, and some every day. "Employees need to be back in the office because there is no culture without in-person connection." "Employees have the autonomy and flexibility as long as they get their job done" The debate isn't as easy as picking a side, even though the feelings around WORK FROM HOME can be polarizing. We are all about providing thought-provoking content and ideas at The ReImagine Conference happening on June 11 at the Melville Marriott. Want to hear all sides of the Remote Work/Hybrid Work/Back to the Office coin? You're in for a treat. She Said / She Said is all about showcasing all sides of the new way to work coin. The Goal: To open up the minds and perspectives of individuals to recognize there are numerous ways to work. She Said / She Said will be moderated by Erin McKown director at Arthru and National EAP. Hear the ideas, thoughts and experiences of two HR professionals, Juli Billet from UNFI and Rita DiStefano from Rimon. You won't want to miss this. Early bird discount until May 3. Want to save an additional $25? Use code LINKEDIN at checkout. See the link for the conference in the comments.

😖Are office days your least productive? You’re not alone. It turns out that when we’re exposed to ‘standard’ levels of background office noise, research led by Libby Sander PhD discovered: ⬆️A 34% increase in stress responses. ⬇️A 25% increase in poor mood. With so many organisations making blanket return-to-office demands, we *really* need to consider whether this will positively impact employee productivity and sentiment. 💡Do you find it difficult to focus when working in the office? 👇We’d love to know. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ P.S. You can listen to Libby Sander share more of her research findings, and what they can teach us about reimagining the future of the workplace over on Podbean. 👇👇

It's time to move beyond the talk of flexible work which is going round in circles 🌀. The conclusion is flexible work is here to stay. Instead of dwelling on this, we need to focus on defining its implementation with our employees. I'd rather people talk more about skills and training and how do we make sure we're future ready than the whole debate about flexible work. So let's move on and let's focus on skills and the future of our organisations. Historically, many organisations haven't invested sufficiently in skilling—not necessarily out of reluctance but perhaps due to a misconception that their current capabilities are adequate. Yet, talent shortages consistently rank as a top concern among CEOs. This gap between available skills and those needed for future growth poses a significant risk to our organisational resilience and competitive edge. What should we, as leaders, do? 🎯 It’s time to strategically plan and invest in comprehensive training programs. We need to connect these initiatives directly to the career progression of our employees, ensuring that the skills they acquire are not just for show but pave the way to meaningful advancement and job satisfaction. For example, transitioning an order picker in a warehouse to a forklift driver not only increases their skill set but can also lead to a 40% salary increase—illustrating a clear return on investment for both the employee and the organisation. As we forge ahead, let’s shift our dialogues from merely adapting to flexibility, to actively enhancing our workforce’s capabilities. By focusing on skilling, we not only address the immediate skill shortages but also build a workforce that is versatile, adaptable, and ready for the challenges of tomorrow. What do you think? #Leadership #WorkforceDevelopment #SkillsGap #FutureOfWork Thanks Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for the inspiration, but it's time to change the discussion.

We do our best work when we are together in person ♨️ 🤨 The Drum recently posted this interesting case study on a Return to Office policy not landing well with employees... https://lnkd.in/gtddWrR6 ⁉️ Is there a RTO policy that lands well with employees ⁉️ According to FutureForum.com, 67% of workers still say they prefer a hybrid arrangement with the option to access a physical space. The top two drivers motivating employees to want to work in the office are: 1. Collaboration (33%) 2. Building camaraderie (23%) Perhaps the most important takeaway though - workers want flexibility and purpose, not mandates If your company has a hybrid model... 🔑 Can you articulate WHY to a candidate in the interview? 🔑 Can you articulate WHY to a current employee? Being able to articulate the WHY matters for #candidateexperience #candidateengagement #employeeexperience #leadership A MIT Sloan Management Review suggested key reasons for in-person: - Team development - On-Boarding and training events - New-team formation and major-initiative kickoffs - Business-function-specific activities (with input from the team) What, if any, "best work" does your team do when together in person?