Return-to-office and flexibility: can they coexist?

P&C leaders may be able to bring staff back into the office without sacrificing the flexibility their employees want. 

In fact, the key to getting the ‘return to office’ right is in an organization’s ability to pull rather than push workers in, according to a recent episode of IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review. 

In the P&C industry, many leaders repeat the importance of being in the office, while their staff are, conversely, noticing its flaws. 

About 91% of P&C industry professionals report working in a hybrid office (i.e., working from home at least one day a week), according to a Canadian Underwriter survey more than 600 industry professionals in October 2023. 

P&C industry team members most commonly reported working in the office two days a week (26%), followed by three days a week (19%). And of those who work in a hybrid office, about 68% said they were either very satisfied (46%) or satisfied (22%) with their work arrangement. 

Just under a quarter of P&C professionals (22%) said they still work purely remotely.   

As Kimberly Shells, a senior director in Gartner’s HR practice observes in Ideacast, organizations are struggling with when, where and how to facilitate their employees in the office.  

“They’ve made the decision that they want employees to be on site more often, but they haven’t figured out the how,” she said. “And what they tend to get wrong is instituting a one size fits all approach from the top down.” 

This type of approach can restrict employees, in turn impacting their productivity. 

Verbatim responses to CU’s survey indicate the way an office is set up has plenty to do with workers’ satisfaction rates. 

“When we are in the office, all of us, leaders and others, work in a large room, around a large square shaped boardroom table. Because this is part of our culture, it makes the ebb and flow of communication very seamless, and open. You cannot do this remote,” said one respondent. 

Said another respondent of their hybrid office: “inconsistent, not enough desks, no booking space. I’m a manager, and so if my team and I don’t get in before 8, we can’t sit together. How is this encouraging collaboration? Senior leadership doesn’t walk the talk.” 

According to Shells, giving employees a sense of agency or control can drive better employee responses. 

“Our research has found that autonomy not only reduces workers’ fatigue by 1.9 times, but it also makes them 2.3 times more likely to stay with the organization,” she said. 

“The sum of it is: the organizations that are getting it right, they are looking to create a workplace environment that employees will want to be a part of. The strategies of organizations getting it right, they are pulling people into the office, not pushing them in.” 

Another problem P&C employees are facing is the increased cost of travelling to the office.  

One verbatim respondent to CU‘s survey said they “would lose thousands of dollars per year in increased insurance, gas, clothing, and food budget, as well as increased childcare costs,” if they went into the office.  

Another said: “Saving commuting costs, which can run more than $20 a day, can go directly to helping feed a family. This disproportionally impacts more junior-level staff. Those in higher salary bands (and of course executives) are typically the ones pushing for more in-office days at least in part because they don’t feel the economic impact.” 

That’s why executives who want their employees to work from the office may consider policies that allow for options for support services. 

“Free or subsidized food on site, certainly defrays costs for food,” Shells said. “Things like free or subsidized onsite childcare, and even pet care…can actually amplify autonomy by providing more financial freedom and freedom with your time.” 

Another way leaders can give their employees agency when coming into the office is by mandating a number of team days per year, not per week, Shells suggested.  

“It’s not about, is it Monday or Wednesday? It’s about the project life cycle and what’s happening on the project that offers the most meaningful opportunities for team members to connect and learn from each other,” she said. 

“At the end of the day, when you think about these strategies, again, they work to pull employees into the office, not simply push them in. And those are the things that successful organizations are doing.” 

Feature image by iStock/Aleutie