Executives to Corporate: You Can Take Our Office, But You Can't Take Our Pajamas
Executive Bullet Points:
- Top-tier executives are leading the resistance to the five-day office week, with many willing to trade more than 20% of their compensation for the flexibility of remote work.
- Despite the push for a return to the office, data shows that office attendance is still below pre-pandemic levels, with employees spending less time in the office than before.
- Companies are exploring creative solutions to encourage in-person work, including relocating offices to more enticing locations and offering flexible work-from-anywhere policies.
Greg's Words
The battle goes back and forth - but the lines are beginning to solidify. Employees want to work from anywhere - as the fear of Covid revealed.
But today it seems even the C-Suite sees the value of working from anywhere(#WFA). No surprises there, but what is remarkable is that the #WFA movement has forces aligned with the most demographic.
Who still resists? Commercial property management companies, commercial real estate organizations, firms heavily invested in commercial real estate(banks), peripheral businesses,(coffee shops, taxis, tow trucks, food trucks), and mayors(no tax base).
In the end, it just doesn't matter. The #WFA movement would prevail on lessons learned during the Covid fear alone - but there is more. Enter artificial intelligence. Today, AI is allowing two employees to do the work of ten. AI can be accessed from any connected point on the planet.
The office-work environment has dissolved.
How is the alignment between executive and employee going to impact the resistance to #WFA?
In the post-pandemic world, the corporate landscape is undergoing a seismic shift. The traditional five-day office week is facing resistance from an unexpected quarter: top-tier executives. According to new research from McKinsey, these influential senior employees strongly prefer the option of working from home at least part of the time. They are top performers, and competitors are ready to poach them with the promise of remote work.
"People see it now as an expectation and not as a perk."
As Brian Vickery, a partner at McKinsey, puts it, "It’s a group of talent that has a lot of sway," around company culture and what attendance looks like. This preference for remote work is not just a passing fancy. Many executives are willing to trade more than 20% of their compensation for the flexibility to work their preferred number of days at home.
Despite the corporate push for a return to the office, data suggests that office attendance is still below pre-pandemic levels. Placer.ai’s Nationwide Office Building Index, which looked at 800 office buildings, found that numbers were more than the majority at 60% of pre-pandemic levels. Kastle Systems reported that office attendance has once again dipped below the 50% mark across 10 major US cities in recent weeks, despite the mandates.
However, the data also presents a mixed bag. For instance, even workers who go into the office stay less than they did four years ago. But foot traffic to offices has reached its highest level since before COVID-19. This suggests that while employees may be returning to the office, they are spending less time there than before.
Companies are not sitting idle in the face of these challenges. They are exploring creative solutions to encourage in-person work. Some executives are relocating their offices to more enticing locations. For instance, Cowtan & Tout moved from lower Manhattan to Brooklyn’s Industry City, a complex of 16 buildings on the repurposed industrial waterfront. This move was followed by an increase in office attendance.
Another strategy being employed is the flexible work-from-anywhere policy. Priceline, for example, allows people to work from anywhere for four consecutive weeks a year. This policy has been well-received, with Priceline Chief Executive Brett Keller making use of that month to work remotely from Idaho, near extended family.
As Matthew Saxon, chief people officer at Zoom, aptly puts it, "People see it now as an expectation and not as a perk." The future of work may very well be a hybrid model that combines the best of both worlds: the collaboration and social interaction of the office with the comfort and flexibility of remote work.
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Tweet: "Top-tier execs are trading suits for slippers, leading the resistance to the 5-day office week. Despite the corporate push, office attendance is still lagging. Is the future of work remote? #FutureOfWork #RemoteWork"
LinkedIn Post Introduction: As we navigate the post-pandemic work landscape, an unexpected group is leading the resistance to the traditional five-day office week - top-tier executives. Despite the corporate push for a return to the office, data suggests that office attendance is still below pre-pandemic levels. So, what does this mean for the future of work? Let's dive in.
Keyword List: Remote work, office attendance, top-tier executives, work flexibility, work-from-home, post-pandemic work trends, office relocation, work-from-anywhere policy, corporate culture, productivity, innovation.
Image Description: An image showing a top-tier executive working from a home office, with a serene outdoor view in the background. The executive is in casual attire, highlighting the comfort and flexibility of remote work.
Search Question: What are the trends and challenges of returning to the office post-pandemic?
Funny Tagline: "Executives to Corporate: You Can Take Our Office, But You Can't Take Our Pajamas!"
Song Suggestion: "Work From Home" by Fifth Harmony
| Sources | Date |
|---|---|
| The Biggest Holdouts on the Five-Day Office Week: Bosses, Wall Street Journal | July 19, 2023 |
| How are those return-to-office mandates working out?, BenefitsPRO | July 20, 2023 |
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