There may have been a couple of years of hybrid or remote working, but with the recent crisis pretty much in the rearview mirror, it is time to get on and take things forward. This is easier said than done, as you will have many people returning to the tech business workplace who have gotten used to the comforts of home (although probably not the distractions). This will clearly have an effect on morale, so you’ll need to take measures to ensure morale doesn’t drop and productivity falters as a result.
#1 Renovate the break area and keep it clean and tidy
If you don’t have a break area, you might want to look at finding room for one, as people eating at their desks can damage your expensive tech, and crumbs and spills can encourage pests. If you do have one, give it a makeover, even if that just includes a coat of paint and replacing whatever they use to heat up food with a newer version. This needn’t be expensive and shows that you have got your employee’s wellbeing at heart.
Once things are in place and people are happy; refrain from using passive-aggressive signage telling them that it is everybody’s responsibility to keep it clean. While this is the case, signage like this doesn’t make people clean up (and sometimes causes the opposite to happen); so also hire a cleaner to give the area a once over when they clean the office areas.
#2 Make sure the temperature is right
Of course, you’re not going to keep everyone happy with this one; but you can make sure it is not swelteringly hot or freezing cold. Depending on what sort of area you have you will require efficient air conditioning and heating. Aged and undermaintained equipment not only does a poor job but is likely to cost you a lot of money to run as well.
Having your current set-up serviced or replaced by a reputable local company like Kaiser Air Conditioning will have a number of benefits. First among these is that you will have a happier workforce; who can get on without having to moan about the heat or cold. Also, a more efficient system is likely to be cheaper to run; keeping those overheads down at a time when it matters.
#3 Instigate a program of refresher training
Any team that has spent a while out of the office is going to be rusty in a number of areas; regardless of what your business happens to do. To make people feel like they haven’t lost their touch, they should be updated on everything that has happened over the last couple of years they may have missed out on and get refresher training on any new updates to the software they use.
This will not only increase their knowledge base; but also act as something of an ice breaker for people who might have only seen each other as a face in a little square on their screen for quite a while (more on that next).
#4 Organize some outside work events
These will vary according to what your company actually does, but things like picnics; cookouts (maybe at your home), or a trip to a show have a good record of success in tech business. These should not be compulsory, as some people don’t like events like this; but if you get the feel of the event right, this number of ‘no-shows’ could be kept to a minimum.
There could be some kind of competition or quiz as a centerpiece (or even a softball game); so there isn’t any sort of nervous silence or the people who were going to talk anyway start to dominate the conversation. A simple act like this can stop people from feeling like strangers; and instead remember they are all part of the same team.
To wrap everything up
Returning to the office won’t be the most popular decision you make as a tech business owner; and there is bound to be some reluctance and friction as a result. You can do much to deflect any ill feelings by creating a clean break room; and organizing events to break the ice and rekindle the team ethic. In addition to this, you’ll also want to improve the working environment by maintaining the right temperature and making sure that everyone is brought up to speed with training on all the new developments while they have been working remotely.