As more businesses start returning to the office, employers need to create incentives to get employees excited about making their return. This is going to be a big change. Many employees have gotten used to working from home and good change management is essential in order to ensure a smooth transition. Organizations will need to face the fact that returning to the office can be uncomfortable and nerve-wracking for some employees. This is especially true for employees who may have been originally hired to WFH. It’s more important now than ever for employers to take new approaches to engaging employees.
Should My Company Create New In-Person Practices?
Companies can offer in-person incentives to motivate employees to return to the office. Office events and customs define your employees and your company’s culture and describe any repeated act or custom integral to your business. By implementing new in-person traditions, you can attach a greater purpose to the transition to in-person work – strengthening company culture.
What Do Employees Say Motivates Them Most to Return to the Office?
Let’s face it: returning to the office after finally adapting to remote work is a significant shift for many of your employees. Given this drastic change, companies must offer various return-to-office incentives to convince employees that returning to in-person work is worthwhile.
However, many employers get stuck when brainstorming the best incentives to meet employee expectations. Below are some ways to incentivize your employees to make the transition back into the office less stressful.
The Importance of the Lunch Break
When offering employees incentives to return to the office, mealtime is everything. Lunch breaks and provided food help employees stay energized and excited about the work your company produces. According to a recent Wakefield Research study, 97% of office professionals believe that lunch breaks improve their workday, even though most employees do not take regular lunch breaks.
Despite some benefits of remote work, not having an allotted lunch break makes employees less likely to take necessary breaks throughout the day. It is challenging to compartmentalize the workday when your commute is measurable in feet. In fact, 14% of employees never take lunch breaks, while 1 in 5 take breaks on 2 or fewer work days. By promoting a philosophy of wellbeing, encouraging employees to step away from their devices and eat a healthy meal, you will see tremendous improvements in engagement, mood, and collaboration. The alternative is burn out which will cost you dearly.
Free Meals, More Choices
Lunch breaks are only the tip of the iceberg of meal-focused back-to-office perks. Offering employees free meals takes a massive burden off their shoulders so they can focus on adapting to in-person work without worrying about spending on food or packing their lunch in a hurry every morning.
1 in 3 employees states that meal benefits would entice them to return to the office more often, while 61% are somewhat likely to switch businesses for comparable jobs with free meals included. Because of this, businesses can face a massive risk when not offering some type of meal benefits.
One way to maximize your meal benefits program is to offer employees free meals from the restaurant of their choice. Take a new approach to your meal planning strategy as you invite employees to return.
Transportation Reimbursement
Remote work for the past 2+ years has translated into meaningful savings for workers. Beyond the loss of flexibility, returning to the office can be a financial burden, especially for employees who rely on cars and ride-sharing services.
If your employees have to relocate and/or commute, offering transportation reimbursement benefits can go a long way towards improving acceptance of your RTO policy.
Gym Membership
Having an office gym or providing a gym membership to local facilities is one of the top back-to-office perks you can offer as an incentive to employees. An employee gym membership provides numerous enticing benefits, including the following:
- Improved mood
- Helps employees commit to a routine
- Fosters a culture of wellness
- Gives employees the power to take care of themselves, boosting overall employee morale.
Upskilling with Free Courses and Training
A popular incentive among employees returning to the office is offering free in person courses and training programs. They increase the value of gathering in person and demonstrate your commitment to their career development.
Some employers have started offering skill-based training split into various sessions over one week, with employees signing up for week-long courses to get more comfortable returning to work.
Flexible Spendings Accounts (FSAs)
Offering employees Flexible Spendings Accounts (FSAs) is an excellent way to show that you value your employees’ well-being and future. If you don’t offer FSAs, consider adding this option to your system to incentivize employees to return to work. FSAs will allow you and your employees to save on taxes and feel more secure in your finances while working your hardest.
Dependent Care Assistance Programs
Employer sponsored child care benefits including back-up child care is essential to showing working parents that you understand and appreciate the challenging circumstances of returning to the office. It reduces stress and anxiety that resource constrained and single parents often feel during the workday. Many companies are partnering with care.com, Bright Horizons, and third party networks to ease the burden of finding care providers. The same applies for employees who care for other dependents including disabled and elderly family members.
Bringing Pets to the Office
If your workplace has space to accommodate employees with their pets, consider setting up a system to have your employees bring their pets to the office. 23 million Americans adopted pets in the earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As employees return to the workplace, they might struggle to find help taking care of their pets during the day or may feel reluctant to adapt to in-person work away from their companion. Bringing their pets to the office can boost their wellness and keep their spirits high.
Meditation App Subscriptions
Showing employees that you prioritize their mental and emotional well-being is critical to empathetically approaching the transition back into the office. Providing a workplace meditation app and allowing employees to use it as necessary throughout the day ensures everyone has a healthy mindset and the coping tools to manage their emotions when things feel overwhelming.
Mental Healthcare Support
The toll the pandemic, natural disasters, inflation, and social justice issues have taken on workers’ mental health is impossible to measure but recent studies show a sharp rise among all Americans. According to the NIMH, 1 in 5 Americans suffers from a mental illness. Mental Health America reported that anxiety disorders are the highest reported mental health issue in the US with 42.5 million Americans claiming to suffer from this illness. Children and teens are also suffering which creates added stress and financial burdens for working parents. Many companies, including Sharebite, understand the direct link between employee mental health, job satisfaction, and performance and offer free access to services like Ginger, Better Help, Calm, and Headspace.
Find Out More With Sharebite
Returning to the office part-time or full time can become a delightful experience with the promise of delicious, healthy meals. Sharebite is the top rated meal benefits platform that enables you to feed your employees anywhere they work. Our products make it effortless for you to keep your employees energized and engaged, two essential ingredients to delivering great work. Customers love Sharebite because we offer endless flexibility, we have the top restaurant partners (including Sweetgreen!), best in class customer support, and every meal ordered results in a meal donation by us to alleviate food insecurity in local communities.
