If You Want Employees in the Office, Make the Day Worth the Trip

An office day has a price tag. For some employees, that means transit fares, fuel, parking or childcare. For almost everyone, it also means time: getting ready, commuting and reorganizing a day that may have become more flexible through remote or hybrid work.

That helps explain why return-to-office conversations can become contentious. Employees are weighing the time, cost and effort of getting there against the value of what happens once they arrive.

Canadian research consistently shows that avoiding the commute is one of the things employees value about working from home. That gives employers an important clue. If bringing people together matters to the organization, making those days easier and more worthwhile matters too.

The answer does not have to be an expensive collection of office perks. Often, practical support and a better-planned day can make a bigger difference.

Reduce the friction of getting there

Start with the parts of an office day that employees find difficult.

For many people, commuting is high on the list. Depending on where employees live and how they travel, employers could consider:

• Parking or public-transit support

• Secure bicycle storage and change facilities

• Carpooling options

• Flexible arrival and departure times

• Coordinated office schedules that reduce unnecessary trips

The right solution will vary considerably between a downtown Toronto employer and an organization in a suburban Ontario community. More importantly, they should find out whether transportation is actually a significant concern for their employees before investing in a solution.

Make being together useful

One of the quickest ways to undermine an office day is to ask employees to commute in, only to have them spend most of it on video calls. If collaboration is one of the reasons for bringing people together, the schedule should reflect that.

Team planning, brainstorming, mentoring, professional development, onboarding and time with senior leaders can all benefit from being done in person. Informal conversations matter too. They are much more likely to happen when colleagues are actually in the office at the same time.

Employees should be able to understand why a particular activity is better accomplished together.

Use food to create connection

Complimentary coffee and snacks can make an office pleasant but a thoughtfully designed food program can accomplish more.

Providing lunch on shared office days can reduce an employee expense, save time and create a natural opportunity for colleagues to connect. It doesn’t have to be elaborate.

It's the social purpose that matters. A catered lunch has limited value if employees eat alone at their desks before joining another virtual meeting. It becomes more meaningful when teams have time to sit together, welcome a new colleague or continue a useful conversation.

Consistent, modest offerings that fit the organization’s office schedule and budget may ultimately provide more value than occasional elaborate events.

Keep some flexibility around office days

The commute is only one part of the equation.

Employees may also be managing daycare pickup, eldercare, medical appointments and other responsibilities. Flexible start and finish times can therefore be extremely valuable on office days.

Employers can also look at existing benefits through this lens. Virtual healthcare, employee assistance programs, caregiving resources and flexible spending accounts may help employees manage some of the pressures that make office attendance more complicated.

This is where a broader benefits conversation becomes useful. Rather than automatically adding another perk, employers can consider whether the programs they already provide are helping employees manage the realities of their lives.

Think beyond head office

Any discussion about making office days better should also consider employees who do not have the option to work remotely.

Front-line, field, manufacturing, retail and other onsite employees may reasonably question why additional resources are being directed toward encouraging hybrid employees to come into the workplace.

Fair does not always mean identical, but the overall approach should make sense.

If head-office employees receive meals on designated office days, for example, could something comparable be offered at other locations? Are flexible scheduling, development opportunities, wellness resources and recognition programs accessible across the organization?

Looking at the employee experience across the entire workforce can help prevent well-intentioned office initiatives from creating a new source of frustration.

Ask employees what would actually help

There is no universal formula for the ideal office day.

A short employee survey or a few focused conversations can reveal much more than assumptions about what people want. Employers can ask what makes office days difficult, what employees value about being together and what practical support would make the greatest difference. The answers may be surprisingly simple.

Employees might want better coordination between teams rather than a new office perk. They may value flexible arrival times more than free lunch. Or commuting costs may genuinely be the biggest barrier.

Understanding the problem first gives employers a much better chance of spending money where employees will actually value it.

Make the day worth the trip

A successful office strategy gives employees a reason to be there and removes some of the friction involved in getting there. That means thinking beyond attendance requirements. What will employees accomplish together? Who will they interact with? What support would make the day easier? And does the overall experience justify the time and effort required?

Those are useful questions for HR and People & Culture leaders to consider alongside their benefits and total rewards strategy.

If your organization is rethinking how workplace supports, flexibility and employee benefits fit together, Aria Benefits can help you look at the bigger picture and determine where your investment can have the greatest value.