I spoke with business leader Shannon Ewan to gain insight into ICAgile's perspective on the widespread return-to-office movement.
“There’s a tendency towards a one-size-fits-all approach to return to work policies. Companies may be following what’s happening in big tech without considering how these changes impact their employee base and the work they’re doing as an organization,” she said.
She described how organizations should recognize the value of involving their team in key decision-making to discover what works well and what needs to be improved, like collecting feedback on why workers don’t want to return to the office.
Beyond team preferences, we discussed that an organization's working model, whether remote, hybrid, or in-person, should weigh heavily on the nature of the work. For example, she described how, eight years ago, ICAgile moved to a fully remote model before remote work was popular. They made this decision because most of the team’s work was international, which required coordinating via email, phone, or video conferencing with people worldwide. Therefore, there wasn’t a need to occupy a physical office. The ICAgile team still works on a fully remote model today and conducts international business regularly.
However, Ewan also expressed the nuance in why organizations bring their employees back to the office, such as the need to work with customers in person or being locked into lease agreements. Ultimately, while employee preference for remote work is a consideration, the harsh reality is that it may only work for some businesses.
ICAgile believes that team working arrangements should be customized to fit the nature of the work and unique circumstances of the business. Whether it's maintaining current arrangements or making changes, like implementing a return-to-office policy, it's essential to consider employee feedback before and after the process.
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