Advantages of Going Back to the Office

The effects of the pandemic forced companies to move many or all of their employees to virtual offices so they could continue their work without spreading the virus. Now that the spread has started to slow, bosses and employees alike are wondering whether it is prudent to go back to an in-person environment. Today, we will discuss some of the advantages of getting back to the office. 

 

Company Culture

A company’s culture affects nearly everything about how business is conducted. From communication, work ethic, and scheduling, to production, workflow, and business development – most aspects of the company are influenced by the culture cultivated among its employees and leadership. With everyone doing their work from home, however, much of this can be lost. Those long work nights where a team stays so late that they are still doing work when the cleaning crew comes in – those aren’t happening anymore. While that’s not entirely a bad thing, experiences like this one create a sense of comradery and allow the employees to bond with one another. Working from home puts a natural distance between employees and makes it much harder to form strong bonds, especially in terms of new team members. Creating a strong sense of teamwork instills loyalty and a determined work ethic into each member of the team; both important aspects of a prosperous company. 

 

New Hires

As mentioned previously, it is harder for new team members to get inducted into the company’s culture, but the problems don’t end there. On-the-job training has always been a staple of efficient businesses. It gets new hires up to speed faster than any other method and saves time later by teaching them all the “nooks and crannies” of the job before they start to do important work. It is much easier for a new hire to get an experienced team member’s attention when they are just a few feet away in the office. In an online environment, the experienced team member can leave a message unread for hours. See the problem? Soft skills are also much harder to develop online. Learning how to talk to superiors, ask follow up questions, and get quick updates are all much harder to do through a screen. Going back into the office opens up a myriad of avenues that lead toward developing new hires into exemplary workers. 

 

Employee Monitoring

Every company monitors its employees in one way or another. This isn’t necessarily because they don’t trust their employees, it is because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. When working from home, a person who is listed as ‘away’ in Teams or Slack could just as easily be taking a bathroom break as an afternoon nap. It is hard or impossible to tell when someone is genuinely gone or just slacking off. This problem is almost completely remedied by going back to the office. Management can track how often an employee leaves their desk, how much time they spend on their phone, and more. Using this information they can make the appropriate changes. This enforces a healthy work culture, makes sure new hires don’t start lagging too far behind, and in the end makes the entire business more efficient. 

 

Our Experienced Advisors

At Taurus CPAs, our mission has remained consistent since our founding – to be exceptional service providers and trusted advisors who integrate strategic advice and innovative solutions with integrity, quality, and reliability.