Office culture in a post-pandemic world
Before the pandemic, one frequently voiced concern that what many employees had was a desire for greater flexibility. The remote working mandate in effect for most corporate jobs for the last year has given people a taste of that flexibility, and they do not want to go back to the Way It Was. There are numerous studies and a plethora of data supporting this; the bottom line is that work, as we knew it in the “before times,” will never return to what it used to be.
The pandemic forced even the most myopic of companies to see the irrefutable proof—that remote working does not negatively impact productivity. Employees love it, and it saves companies money. Seems like a win-win situation, doesn’t it? I suspect that as more of the population is vaccinated and as offices reopen, those managers and employees who like to do things the way they’ve always been done will be in for a rude awakening. Consider this recent opinion piece that was published in the Washington Post. It is written by a CEO concerned about “the erosion of office culture” due to the proliferation of remote work. This piece is at best tone-deaf, at worst a bullying screed—she warns that employees who don’t return to the office risk having their status changed from full-time to contractor. I’m not sure that can happen if you are a full-time employee. Just because you work from home doesn’t make you a contractor. Anyway, as someone who has worked independently and remotely for years, there is little that I miss about going into an office. However, it got me thinking…what is “office culture,” and what’s so great about it anyway?
The author defines office culture as “established practices, unspoken rules, and shared values, established over the years in large part by people interacting in person.” She goes on to cite examples such as impromptu mentoring, meetings, and office birthday parties. Is that what “office culture” is? Because most people I talk to find some of those things distracting (Maybe not the parties- but impromptu meetings? NO). What is clear to me is that the author is hung up on “office culture” rather than focusing on company culture; those are two very different and distinct things. Office culture may be the practice of gathering in conference rooms for meetings. Company culture is creating an environment that inspires innovation and encourages new ideas. Company culture is not dependent upon an office.
Managers and executives who share the author's mindset of this op/ed are going to have real problems recruiting and retaining talent. Perhaps they have been blind to the changes that were happening even before the pandemic and didn’t notice people conferencing into meetings from their desks rather than joining in the conference room, or the folks who threw down lunch in front of their screens rather than going out with colleagues, or even the people who would spend the entirety of their days with headphones or earbuds in, interacting with no one. Yes, the world has changed, but plenty of signals and foreshadowing indicated that this was to come.
Most of the people I talk to are not yet ready to give up on the office entirely and want to return to some sort of hybrid model. But they are not willing to give up the flexibility they have experienced with remote work either. This is not a flash in the pan; it is here to stay, and I believe that when we look back in 10 or 20 years, we will point to 2020-2021 as the time in which the idea of the modern corporate workplace was upended entirely. In the meantime, take a cruise through the comments section of the op/ed I linked. Some of it is pure gold. Enjoy!