We are getting to the point in our post-pandemic world where employees want to come back to the office. People have been working remotely for 12-18 months. They are craving human connection and the opportunities to collaborate with one another. 

It is important that you offer your employees a safe environment, but to also offer incentives and reasons for them to come back. In a recent Tenant Talks event, our panel of experts talked about the value of employees returning to the office, and ways to encourage them to safely come back. 

These are five of the best amenities and ways to keep your employees happy, engaged, and back in the office. 

1. Comfortable and Safe Work Environment

Giving your employees a comfortable, safe workspace is the first step in bringing your firm back to the office. After working at home for so long, employees are used to having comfort in their daily work lives. Make sure you provide comfortable and ergonomically designed furniture. 

You should also make sure that your office has the proper safety equipment on hand. In today’s work environment, that means providing masks, hand sanitizer, and a first aid kit that is accessible to everyone. 

2. Collaboration Opportunities

Employees who are craving human connection are ready to come back to the office. It’s important to allow your employees to openly collaborate with each other. Your employees should be able to collaborate and communicate with other employees regardless of whether they are in the same location or not. 

You can provide these opportunities to your employees in a few different ways. One major way is by incorporating conference rooms with video conferencing and phone capabilities, so employees in the office can talk to employees working remotely. 

Another way to encourage open collaboration between employees is by having programs that improve communication. Programs like Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams allow colleagues to work on projects and tasks together even when they are in different locations. 

3. Flexible Workspaces and Schedules

Most leaders in today’s environment would say that the key to success in the workplace is flexibility. In our recent Tenant Talks about the future of the workplace experience, experts in the banking and finance sectors talked about the ways in which their firms are adapting more flexible workspace options. 

The best way to figure out and plan for a flexible workplace is by reviewing each role and determining whether that role can work remotely, in the office, or in a hybrid setting. You also want to take into consideration the individual who is currently in each role and whether they need a flexible working schedule or not. 

By including your employees in the decision-making for the future, you can better understand your organization’s workspace needs. You will better understand what makes sense for each role, for each person, and for the company as a whole. 

4. Employee Incentives

Offering some incentives to your employees is a great way to get them back in the office and keep them happy. The best incentives are not the ones that cost the most, but the ones that provide value to your employees and reward them for their hard work. 

These are a few of the best ideas for employee incentives. These are things that any company can do for their employees to keep them happy, no matter how large or small your organization is. 

• Extra vacation time
• Tickets to an outdoor event/park
• Weekly surprises
• Wellness incentives
• Free food
• Casual dress/dress down days

5. Childcare Options

Working parents have been hit the hardest over the last year. Many parents have had to take on the role of stay-at-home Mom and teacher, while still working 40 hours a week at their regular job. 

Offering your employees childcare options (whether you provide onsite daycare or a voucher for daycare costs) can really eliminate the stress of going back to the office for parents who have been working from home. 

These are just a few of the many effective ways to incentivize and encourage your employees to come back to the office. By providing a safe, welcoming, and comfortable environment, your employees will be happy to return to work. You will have engaged, focused, and collaborative people who want to see the company succeed. 

As we have seen in a lot of our recent Tenant Talks events, people want to return to the office, they just need the opportunity to safely do so.