Why mandatory office time isn't going to work

Companies need to take a more thoughtful approach and make the employee experience more connected and meaningful.

- Julien Cayla

In a trend of companies wanting employees to spend less time working from home, professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has announced a crackdown. It intends to track the locations of its UK employees to ensure they spend "at least three days a week" in the office or at a client's site.

Meanwhile, tech giant Amazon ended its hybrid work policy and ordered staff back to the office five days a week, saying that in-person work would improve collaboration and innovation.

In Singapore, many companies are also urging employees to return to the office despite the rising demand for flexible work arrangements, particularly among women with caregiving responsibilities. Flexible work options are not just a convenience but a necessity for a growing proportion of the workforce.

Should organisations enforce office attendance or adopt more flexible work arrangements? In my view, moves such as those made by PwC to insist on mandatory office time are misguided and could backfire. They overlook the importance of autonomy, informality and emotional energy.

EMPLOYEES BENEFIT FROM A MORE FLUID APPROACH

Forcing employees to return to the office will significantly undermine their sense of autonomy, a crucial element in driving workplace engagement. With my colleague Brigitte Auriacombe, we studied resort company Club Med for a research project on service work. Our findings reveal that autonomy increases emotional energy, ultimately leading to higher levels of engagement and job satisfaction.