Since the pandemic's start, almost all companies have had to let people go home and work remotely. They had no options but to do that, but now, when the pandemic is over, it seems like everyone's wondering what to do next. Should they go back entirely to the office, continue the practice of remote working, or let employees decide for themselves?
There's been an ongoing debate in the business sector lately, and everyone has their reasons why one is better than the other and why the third option seems best for them personally. The final word is held by the CEOs, of course, but everyone has the right to an entitled opinion.
If you own your company and you're thinking about the same, trying to form an opinion and make a decision, you surely want to see the pros and cons of each option. In this article, we share facts about the three options making your decision for one of them easier. Keep reading and find out what is best for your business.
Going back to the office
Many CEOs couldn't cope with the fact that they were running an imaginative business without employees. At least, that's how they felt when everyone worked from home. They insisted on everyone returning to the office and had good reasons to support this claim.
One of the main reasons why they want everyone in the office is the easier way of seeing who's doing a great job and incentivizing employees to be more productive. They think communication is on another level when everyone works in one place and no one does quality work through the wire.
On the other hand, you must remember that it is way more affordable to run a business remotely. Not owning an office, paying rent, bills, and everything else saves thousands of dollars every month. You can redirect this money into something else.
The office needs maintenance. You need support for it. You need people to clean it daily, fix broken stuff, and the IT guys are regulars in the office since networks and hardware constantly malfunction. Modern offices can only do with proper IT support maintenance.
Working remotely
Companies who care about their employees, but also their bills, will choose to work remotely. Aside from the fact we mentioned above about lowering the bills and expenses, there's one great thing to keep in mind when choosing this type of work: people's happiness.
It is scientifically proven that working remotely allows a better life-work balance for people. Some employees travel for hours to get to work, and they do the same when they need to go back home from the office. They are losing a tremendous amount of time, and when they work from home, they have this time for themselves and their families.
Letting people work remotely increases employees' happiness, making them loyal to the companies they work in and eventually becoming more productive and effective. If you want to see people happy and save a few bucks on expenses, remote working is the best idea for you.
The only flaw of working remotely is that you can't do meetings and create strategies when you have no people around you. It's different to hold Zoom meetings and have these people in the same room. The energy is not the same; many clients will simply not come on board because you fail to impress them.
Working hybrid
A mix of the two above is choosing to work hybrid. The hybrid way of work is letting employees choose when they come to the office. In some cases, the company decides which days are remote and which ones are office days.
For most people, this is the ideal way of working. They get to enjoy some of the fantastic life-work balance that remote working allows them, but they are getting everything from office life, hanging out with colleagues, and enjoying company culture.
Seen from an employee perspective, this is great, but as the owner of the business, this is tough. You get to pay for the office and all the bills, but you still need the employees by your side whenever you feel like working with them. On the other hand, you're getting the best of both worlds, but less frequently.
Conclusion
Think about the three types of working and decide which works best for you. If it is working in the office, you now know what this type's main pros and cons are.
If it is remotely, you know that you won't see any employee again aside from seeing them in the chat window, and if it's hybrid, you're getting the best and the worst of both ideas. If you are the CEO, you must make this decision, so have everyone’s interests in mind when doing so.