ICYMI – Experience-Driven Workspaces & Return to Office

The ongoing debate about return-to-office (RTO) will likely not let up for months to come.

YES! Founder and President, Wendy Spreenberg was featured in a recent Bisnow article discussing this very topic.

That said, a successful RTO strategy includes seeking active and periodic feedback from all team members. This helps to build (or rebuild) trust and enables companies to create a workspace experience that reflects a variety of work modalities and features, aligning corporate goals with employee needs.

Transition is key. As others have observed, Elon Musk’s recent insistence on a 40-hour return to office or resign is an effective strategy to avoid layoffs and the associated payoffs to those employees. The in-office 9-5/5 (9 to 5, 5 days per week) is very much a pre-pandemic, outdated approach when we’ve adapted many parts of our lives over the past 2 years.

Specifically, companies are still grappling with the “culture” aspect of their business. In YES! experience, those firms that bring all voices to the table are going to have the greatest success in the transition.

Directly from the article:

Bisnow: How can companies rebuild their culture? 

Spreenberg: Bringing people back to the office and rebuilding culture requires companies to work with their employees to create a compelling workplace. They can do this by surveying employees to learn what they want and need now compared to before the pandemic, and then meet with them to let them know how their input has influenced the activities that will be planned on-site vs. remote, and any new configurations and changes to the designs of the office. The most successful transitions allow for employee comments, questions and feedback, then repeating these surveys every few months in the first year to learn what’s working, what’s not and what they can refine. Ongoing, it’s helpful to survey at least annually to keep it fresh and inspiring.

Additionally, we see the best strategy is to ease into the return to the office, starting with one or two days a week and building up.

A transition strategy will be pivotal to retaining your most valuable asset – your talent!

___________________________

Let’s help you in transition to create that experience! Reach out to us at hello@yes-spaces.com to get started.

More from the Blog

What Makes Our Financial Model the most honest in the industry?

Integrity is at our core. A truly complete financial model doesn’t just paint a rosy picture — it provides clarity into what you can truly expect, enabling you to make the best decision for you asset.