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An office value proposition (OVP) can help encourage workers to leave their homes and return to onsite work, according to a survey by recruitment company Hays.
Hays posed a question via a LinkedIn poll, asking: “If you work in a hybrid environment, has your employer shared clear and meaningful benefits of more time in the office? If so, did it work?”
Of the 1,008 people that responded, 52 per cent said no, their employer had not communicated the value of onsite working.
“The return-to-office struggle is real, with employers and employees rarely aligned on their preferred number of in-office and remote days,” said Nick Deligiannis, Hays Australia and New Zealand managing director.
A quarter of respondents said their employer had communicated the benefits of going to work onsite, but it didn’t change their routine. Just one in five said that their employers influenced them to come back to onsite work more often.
“We know that professionals are hungry for continued flexibility. When they job search, candidates tell us they want a role offering hybrid working on their own terms,” Mr Deligiannis continued.
“But the employers we work with are asking, ‘How do I get my employees to come back to the office more?’ Some have tried to mandate a return, but a heavy-handed approach negatively impacts an employer brand, staff attraction and employee turnover.”
The answer to this issue may be the implementation of an OVP, which according to Hays’ is “a statement that outlines to employees the tangible and intangible benefits of working in the office, as opposed to working from home”.
“Rather than mandating a return to the office, an OVP helps organisations communicate a genuine, meaningful and attractive case for spending more time in the office,” Mr Deligiannis said.
“Much like an employee value proposition (EVP), which communicates the unique benefits of working for an organisation, an OVP communicates the benefits of working in the office that can’t be replicated remotely.
“In turn, employers hope to encourage staff to return more frequently to the office. It’s not designed to discourage hybrid working, but rather better balance time spent working remotely with time in the office.”
Hays said that when crafting an OVP, employers should look to include these five components:
- Social connection
- One-on-ones
- Upskilling
- Collaboration
- Inclusion
Mr Deligiannis concluded: “Offering remote work improves staff attraction, retention, morale and engagement. But time in the office has benefits too, such as improved collaboration, purpose and connection.
“With an OVP, an organisation can strike a better balance between the two and simultaneously enjoy the benefits of both.”
RELATED TERMS
In a hybrid work environment, individuals are allowed to work from a different location occasionally but are still required to come into the office at least once a week. With the phrase "hybrid workplace," which denotes an office that may accommodate interactions between in-person and remote workers, "hybrid work" can also refer to a physical location.
The practice of actively seeking, locating, and employing people for a certain position or career in a corporation is known as recruitment.
Jack Campbell
Jack is the editor at HR Leader.
