How to make in-office days count

Hybrid working has many proven benefits, but there are some pitfalls too. One is the haphazard return. Too many managers use arbitrary policies that require people to be in the office for a certain amount of the week, without defining what those days are for. This can leave employees battling rail delays or congested roads to get to work, only to spend hours on Teams calls with colleagues who are still at home. 

This may breed resentment, apathy and, at worst, an exodus of skilled people who value their time and demand a more meaningful connection. 

Here are top tips from four Chartered Managers for making people’s office hours more intentional.

1. Prioritise collaboration and connection

Give your teams permission not to spend their in-office days on calls. This time should be about human connection and collective tasks that are hard to replicate remotely. That means brainstorming, face-to-face meetings, strategy days, workshops, ‘lunch and learn’ sessions and networking opportunities.

If possible, try to ensure everyone is in on the same day of the week, rather than letting people come in whenever they want. 

Samantha Boulton CMgr FCMI follows this approach at Spirax Sarco, where she is the national services and sustainability manager for the UK and Ireland.

“We have discussions, team meetings and do problem-solving on the days when everyone is in,” she says, “which means people get that sense of community and connection when they come in.”

2. Communication is key

Presenteeism, the act of turning up merely to be seen to be working, is the enemy. Be really clear with people why you want them in on certain days of the week – and be just as clear about the practicalities. 

“Give people plenty of notice if they’re required in the office,” says Lynn Houmdi CMgr MCMI, founder of Flexible Working Scotland. “They may have to rearrange their lives in order to come in, depending on how regular it is and what their circumstances are.” 

That communication should go both ways. If people are finding it difficult to be there in person, give them a platform to tell you. 

“We’d be wrong just to say we’re back in and we don’t want any moaning,” says Jennie Marshall CMgr MCMI, founder and ‘learning alchemist’ at Wren Learning Consultancy. “Give people a voice and let them get it off their chest. As a manager, it’s part of the job to absorb that, to be that ear and to be understanding.”