I just returned from a family vacation in Hawaii. It was peaceful, relaxing, and refreshing. Yet, I still let some work seep into my days. Scanning the news for workplace-related stories, I found one that caught my eye. Apparently, when given the choice of keeping their work-from-home (WFH) status or returning to the office where they would be more likely to be considered for a promotion, nearly half of Dell employees opted to keep their WFH status.
Regrettably, this story stuck with me as my family set out later that morning for a snorkeling trip with a local guide. A few thousand miles away from the origin of that WFH story, we anchored in a bay where green sea turtles were basking on the beach. I mean, a LOT of turtles were gathered there. Having just finished grazing on sea grasses and algae, they ended the morning by crawling to the shore and napping in the sun. Unfortunately, this repeated phenomenon was well known in tourist circles, and the peaceful scene was disrupted by a crowd of tourists overrunning the area, taking photos, and interfering with the turtles' rest.
Despite the disturbance, the turtles continued to return to this busy bay because it provided a reliable source of food. Our Hawaiian guide pointed out an isolated bay less than a mile away, where the turtles could find a quieter environment. However, he explained to me in a profound yet simple way that the turtles return to this familiar spot because it's all they know, emphasizing the turtles' attachment to their known, albeit compromised, habitat.
That brought me back to the Dell story – Were these employees acting similarly to these green sea turtles?
First things first—I don’t think Dell is the scapegoat here. Early in my career, I worked at Dell, and I still hold great respect for many of its senior leaders. I also think Dell has been on the leading edge of many employee-centric policies through the pandemic and as we return to normalcy (whatever that is.) Data shows that employees like Dell, too. According to Great Places to Work, 85% of employees at Dell Technologies say it is a great place to work compared to 57% of employees at a typical U.S.-based company.
So, if Dell is a good company, and employees express that they like working there, what is happening with this news? Is it being sensationalized?
I think it is a matter of employees being comfortable with their known habitat. And, maybe they are not wrong. Here are some key benefits of working from home, as identified by Stanford economist Nick Bloom:
All of these seem pretty good, right? Just like a turtle accustomed to the sweet seagrasses in one particular bay.
So, the question is, what is being offered to these employees (turtles) in the alternative bay called the “office?”
To lure employees back to the office, the new workplace must offer compelling reasons beyond the traditional desk and meeting rooms. Dell's approach of linking office attendance to career advancement only appealed to 50% of their workforce. This suggests that simply promising potential promotions isn't enough to attract a significant portion of employees who have grown accustomed to the benefits of remote work.
Just as the turtles return to their familiar bay for a reliable food source despite the disturbances, employees gravitate toward the comfort and convenience of working from home. The challenge for employers is to make the office an environment that offers tangible benefits and compelling reasons for employees to visit, similar to how the alternative bay could provide a better habitat for the turtles if it met their needs.
And then (this is the big one), the employees or turtles need a compelling event to get them to try the new, unknown, and uncomfortable option. For turtles, it might be a storm that accidentally pushed them into this new bay or a decline in the quality of the seagrasses in this tourist trap of a bay.
For employees, similar circumstances might force them to reconsider their current work arrangements, such as a significant change in company policy or an external factor. However, creating this compelling event can be harder than expected. Unlike natural occurrences that drive turtles to seek new habitats, employers must strategically design and implement initiatives that genuinely attract employees back to the office. This requires a deep understanding of what employees value most and what will make the office a desirable place to work.
Reflecting on this during the boat ride back to our port of call, I realized that, much like the turtles, we all seek environments that best support our well-being and productivity.
Employers need to ask themselves three critical questions to create a compelling value proposition for returning to the office:
Ultimately, the goal is to transform the office into a place where employees genuinely want to be, rather than where they feel they must be. This approach will help bridge the gap between the familiar comforts of working from home and the potential advantages of a well-designed office environment, creating a harmonious balance much like the one I found on my Hawaiian vacation.
After this insight, I returned to my vacation mindset, appreciating the balance of relaxation and reflection it offered.
Aloha Aina, my friends.