08/05/2022
Should you push for WFO?
[In this write-up, we share some food for thought for businesses contemplating asking their employees to get back to work-from-office (WFO)]
We received an interesting query recently. A new and moderately sized business wanted to know if it could require all its employees, consultants etc. (for ease of reference, we would be using the term “employees” to denote all fee earners irrespective if they are employees or consultants) to work from their offices. We understand that many of our patrons have similar queries. And we share some of our thoughts here.
An employer can surely require its employees to work out of a designated space if (a) their employment agreement specifically states so, or (b) the nature of employees requires the employee to work from such designated space and no other. However, in our considered view, this question and the possible solution(s) are not purely legal.
The problem/issues: Some of the issues for pushing/not pushing for WFO that you could possibly identify with, are as follows:
(1) Anecdotal evidence, write-ups and articles in journals all over the world point us towards the fact that after the (Covid-induced) new-found (re)discovery that work can be done from outside office spaces too, employees (and in many cases employers too) do not want to go back to the old work-from-office (WFO). This can be for a variety of factors – like for employees - savings towards commute time and expenses, ability to see family members at will (even though spending time with them may not be an option), flexi-working, flexibility to work in pajamas ; for employers – it could be for savings in infrastructure (e.g. office furniture, printers, laptops, security infrastructure, air conditioners, etc.) and real estate/rental costs , savings towards transport/commute/travel allowances to employees, savings towards overheads like electricity, beverages and snacks, cleaning and sanitation, internet and telephone, stationery, etc. However, to be fair to employers, during the pandemic-induced lockdowns, most employers, in the IT space especially, have invested heavily in creating secure networks for their employees to WFH, with a view to enable collaborative working, minimise software theft and for maintaining confidentiality of information. And many of them continue to invest/spend heavily in maintaining these networks.
(2) Employee-employer dynamics and expectations have changed too. In the last two years, employees on an average, have been putting in more work-hours per week then they did, ever before. Over that, managers to owners/promoters/shareholders are all used to their employees being available virtually 24/7.
(3) Cost of living has increased across the world, but commensurate increase in salaries has not taken place. Add to this, the stress of the pandemic and added costs (towards health care and post care). India certainly is not an exception to this. In India, some reports suggest basic cost of living has gone up by whopping 40% in the last 2 years. And we all know that salaries, even in tier 1 companies have not kept pace (IT may be an exception). Employees who could WFH, are saving on rental costs and related expenses by either moving in with their parents or living out of Tier 2/3/4/n cities and towns.
(4) In many instances, families with young children or the elderly have either lost their support system or are poorer than before to afford expensive help available in bigger cities. Add to that, the constant fear of the pandemic returning. These families genuinely want to stay close to their families for support.
(5) Then there are genuine employer concerns too for [not] allowing WFH permanently/for long periods. Most work is collaborative. On what parameters can an employer gauge that there is 100% participation of its employees. How does one identify and reward the performers? Productivity is a misnomer where an office has diverse job functionalities. Also, some people are better than others in blowing their trumpet. Without visual evidence coupled with productivity, how does the employer ensure that the silent worker is not falsely penalised, and the vocal not-so-great worker is not rewarded.
(6) Language is a recent phenomenon in human history. Body language and non-verbal cues are very important in teamwork. Not all concerns/response can be verbalised. There is a limit to Zoom (with video on) too. It is therefore important that employees work with each other physically too.
(7) Many a times, because of the nature of work, confidentiality concerns or otherwise, employers do not want their employees to WFH at all.
Possible way forward: Some food for thought:
(a) Make a list of why you want your employees to WFO. What is in their nature of job that needs them to WFO. Is there room for flexibility – like asking them to WFO for a week every fortnight/month/two months. While analysing this, do make allowances for additional costs for your employees. For example, if the employee(s) lives out of the city, do factor in his costs to make this happen (including travelling costs). You do not want a good employee to leave you needlessly.
(b) If such employee(s) must WFO, examine what is the criticality of the role for your business. Are there options available in your geography and budget. How much time and expense would you need to train a new person for the role. You do not want to end up with an un-fillable position. What additional benefits can you advance to induce this person to happily WFO, especially if your salary structure is not amongst the best in the industry. After all, good work product comes from happy employees. You don’t want to end up with a bitter employee.
(c) Also critically examine your benefits structure vis-à-vis the industry. For example, non-monetary benefits like flexi-working are much in demand by Gen-Y and post Gen-Y folks. If you are a new/modest business, can you use WFH/similar flexi-working to retain/attract talent?
(d) If you are small/mid-size business, you may have greater manoeuvrability with respect to employee policies and procedures, vis-à-vis your larger peers. Explore ways to creatively use them. For example, you can apply a horses-for-courses rule rather than one-size fits all.
(e) If you feel that WFH, partial or complete, is in your interest, please do not forget that teamwork, collective brainstorming and collaboration are essential for your business’s success too. Please do not forget to explore ways to achieve these. Example, you may ask your employees to WFO every few months. If you have decided to downsize your space, you can ask your employees to WFO in batches. You may have an offsite every few months. This will not only help your employees to network and collaborate with each other, unwind and get away from WFH, but will give you a sense of them in a non-office environment. During these off sites, you can introduce trainings too. Encourage employees to (a) speak to each other on non-work topics too; (b) switch on their cameras during meetings; and (c) have online events outside of office hours.
(Please note the following list is not exhaustive)
As per knowledgeable persons, the future of work is work-from-anywhere (WFA). This will happen sooner than later. Just like the industrial revolution of 19th century introduced us to work-from designated spaces/factories during set-hours culture, information technology of this 21st century and the pandemic have re-introduced us to working from our homes and places we like. As per experts, COVID is not the last of the pandemics. Probably, it is/was an early warning to a more disease-infested future owing to climate change. The future is digital. The day is not far, where most of our work, except the pieces which involve critical/lateral thinking and EQ, will be done by computers and robots. If that is the future, why should we push for permanent WFO unless there is a real need for it. Businesses who are able to brace technology quickly may prove to be the winners in the long term.
Having said that, there cannot be one-size fits all. Each business should critically examine what would work best for them.
Do share your thoughts on this. You can also write to us at [email protected]
[Disclaimer: The views expressed here should not be considered as professional advice.]
