Want employees to return to office? Give them a reason to do so

Google employees will not be compelled to return to the office five days a week if they maintain their productivity, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has pledged.

Speaking at Google’s recent “TGIF” all-hands meeting, Pichai and John Cassey, Vice-President of Global Compensation and Benefits, sought to assuage fears that Google would not follow the lead of Amazon in mandating employees return to the office five days a week.

According to Cassey, there are no plans to change Google’s three-day in-office policy, although Pichai stressed that maintaining productivity on work-from-home days is crucial for this policy to remain in place.

In a memo sent on September 16, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced that all employees will have to return to office (RTO) five days a week starting January 2025.

The backlash from some Amazon employees on the RTO mandate, is perhaps a timely reminder for organisations to consider and better understand the needs and wants of employees before making any RTO decisions.

For Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Singapore, the desire to enable employees to balance both work and home priorities is continuing to drive their flexible work strategy, which forms part of a holistic offering of initiatives that supports the health and wellbeing of employees.

Shaun Ee, Cluster Head of People, The HEINEKEN Company, told HRM Asia, “We recognise that for a total wellbeing strategy to be successful, it must support the growth and purpose of our people and our business. With the global business landscape returning to a robust place and ways of working resuming pre-pandemic styles, we decided to maintain our flexible work arrangement and yet transitioned from working three days in the office to four says earlier this year.”

This decision, said Ee, stems from a collective belief that the workplace is more than just a physical space. Instead, employees see it as a hub of inspiration, where they can come together to collaborate and innovate, where ideas flow, relationships strengthen, and the unique culture of HEINEKEN comes to life.

“We recognise that for a total wellbeing strategy to be successful, it must support the growth and purpose of our people and our business.” – Shaun Ee, Cluster Head of People, The HEINEKEN Company.

To enable the RTO experience to remain positive and position APB Singapore as a great place to work, wellbeing initiatives continue to be strengthened to support the health and wellbeing of employees.

“These include maintaining email silence on weekends, removing meetings during lunchtime and on Friday afternoons, and providing door-to-door shuttle services for our employees,” shared Ee.

As the largest power generation company in Singapore, hybrid work has not been an easy ride for Senoko Energy. Despite the challenges however, the company has continued to leverage technology to support employees who are not required to be on site to adapt and be equally productive working from home.

Joey Kwek, Head of Division, HR & Corporate Services, Senoko Energy, explained, “We ensure that flexibility and productivity go hand in hand by setting clear goals and expectations, focusing on results, and maintaining open communication.”

“By supporting hybrid work and FWAs, we enable employees to take care of the many priorities they have in both their professional and personal lives.” – Joey Kwek, Head of Division, HR & Corporate Services, Senoko Energy.

Senoko Energy’s definition of hybrid work also extends beyond just working from home. For instance, plant employees who work on a shift basis and must be physically present, a “Shift Change” policy allows them to swap shifts with members of other teams.

READ: RTO will not increase workplace collaboration, Amazon told

“In addition, we are already practicing flexible work arrangements (FWAs) by reviewing our employees’ needs on a case-by-case basis,” said Kwek. “One of the outcomes is letting some of our employees work part-time. This gives them the flexibility to attend to personal commitments without compromising on business needs.”

No matter what work arrangement organisations choose to implement, open communication with employees to understand their concerns and preferences will be key to its successful implementation. Afterall, as Kwek reminded, employees remain the best asset of any organisation.

“By supporting hybrid work and FWAs, we enable employees to take care of the many priorities they have in both their professional and personal lives. It also creates an environment that helps us retain top talent and attract new ones.”