Employers should walk, not run back to onsite working: experts - Janet Candido Interviewed in Benefits Canada

Read the full interview in Benefits Canada.

More than two years after the coronavirus pandemic shifted many white-collar employees to remote working, some employers are planning their return to the office — even if it means bringing staff back kicking and screaming.

“Employers need to understand their employees more than they have in the past when they just offered a salary and a standard benefits program,” says Janet Candido, founder and principal of Candido Consulting Group.

During the last two years, employees have only interacted with colleagues through virtual calls, so a transitional, hybrid period will give them time to adjust to in-person interactions again, she points out. And there are positive aspects of telecommuting that have made the working environment more pleasant for some staff, including fewer microaggressions and unconscious bias for minorities, more accessibility for employees with disabilities and more work-life balance for caregivers. A hybrid working arrangement would also help reduce employees’ stress about the impending return, she adds.

Candido cautions that reverting back to old processes and policies after a disruption such as the current public health crisis isn’t always wise. She believes it’s an opportunity to evaluate whether past decisions and practices still make sense, noting employers can leverage data and performance metrics to build new policies.

In addition, it’s important for employers to consider whether remote working has impacted their businesses negatively, says Candido, referring to considerations like revenue streams, employee productivity, quality of work and employee engagement.