The internet blew up when Boris Johnston suggested we all need to get back to the office because, I paraphrase, “we are all distracted by cheese”.
I’ve had a chance to reflect and honestly have struggled to find a single reason why I would agree that we “all need to get back to the office”. The key word here being “all”.
Noticeably, through numerous workplace surveys over the last couple of years, it is evident that as a nation we have been able to adapt our working lives to benefit both the organisation and the individual.
That said, it is also very clear that some roles simply cannot be done from home, this is always going to be the case.
A new phase?
We are entering a phase where we are learning from a different way of working, be it hybrid or fully remote. We don’t yet have all of the information, all of that learning, therefore how can a blanket policy of get back to the office work?
Having thought about it from a psychological perspective I fear that the problem is fear.
The easy route is to go back to what might feel comfortable or more recognisable. The hard route is taking a calculated risk, trying something different, looking outside of what we thought was possible, because NOBODY thought large corporate organisations could be run from home.
Who will cast the final vote?
I fear that leadership may be the ones who cast the final vote. If it is too “hard” for them to manage remotely they will drive you back to the office fully. In the words of General Stan McChrystal, “There is no going back because your competition is going to a better place” I agree, doing the right thing, not the easy thing is always the better place.
