On our ‘Engaging People, Powering Companies’ podcast last week,

Amrit looked at the latest announcement from Boots Senior Vice President and Managing Director Sebastian James, that stated from the 1^st of September 2024, three thousand, nine hundred employees will be expected to return to the office for the full five-day working week, as opposed to the three days they have been doing since it was implemented following the pandemic.

People Management Magazine shared a direct quote from James that says “I think you will agree that the office is much more fun and inspiring when everyone is in. There is no doubt in my mind that the informal conversations, brief catchups and ability to meet in groups in person have been far more effective – and better for the Boots culture than the enforced formality of remote meetings. I know that has been true for me.” The sales pitch here is that “we really value the team spirit that comes with being together in person” – another direct quote. To make this more palatable, there are promises to improve facilities such as improved IT systems and WIFI, quiet spaces, car parking and better food.

Our curiosity here at &Evolve always seems to bring us to look at a company’s vision and values. What are these for Boots, and is what they are saying, in line with what they say matters most in the world? You would hope that what an organisation deems to be important enough to be their backbone and foundational principles, would extend to its own employees. Their vision is ‘to be the leading partner in reimagining local healthcare and wellbeing for all.’ Their values are:

Courageous: Challenging the status-quo, addressing conflict directly and driving informed risk taking.

Connected: Reflecting the communities we serve, understanding the needs of others and innovating together.

Committed: Leading with integrity, building on our legacy, and striving boldly toward the future.

Curious: Continuously learning and adapting, following the science and data and creating paths where none existed.

Okay then. Let’s dissect this! I agree with Amrit, this announcement could well be in violation of their values. I would love to know if before making this decision, they were courageous in addressing the concerns employees may have, in coming back to the office full time. As I can’t find any clues on that one, I will remain curious! If they have been “curious” and looked at data, they may have come across information that states that 59% of 18–34-year-olds would rather leave an organisation if hybrid working was removed, 14% of black employees would do the same, LGBT+ employees 20% more likely to leave, women 10% more likely than men, and those with disabilities 14% more likely (McKinsey).

Data from Owl Labs ‘2023 State of Hybrid Work’ report gives some interesting findings and predictions and speaks of how after pushing forced return to work mandates, companies have ended up switching positions on it, due to employee push back. It will have served Boots well if they have made this decision by involving employees up front, otherwise they may find themselves with the other companies, that, following everyone being back in the office, changed tact, with work from anywhere policies and a four-day working week!

This same report also talks about the rise of “office peacocking”, which is when companies try and make it ultra appealing for people to return to the office because they have made it such a nice place to be. The data in this report states that to maintain flexibility in where they work, 62% of employees would take a pay cut of 10% or more, to remain hybrid in their working week. It doesn’t seem to matter that there is a promise of a fully stocked fridge! 2023 seemed to see lots of employees returning to the office full time (66%) but in fact only 22% want to be. That is a dangerous statistic when thinking about employee wellbeing, engagement, and retention (1 in 3 would start to look for a new job), let alone their performance. Employees are finding strategies to show their face, satisfy employers while trying to maintain their flexibility. ‘Coffee badging’ sees them showing up for a quick coffee (58% say they have done this and another 8% haven’t yet but intend to).

Job sharing and the little side hustles that can perhaps rescue employees from having to return to an unwanted, inflexible working week are common. In fact, nearly half have a side hustle or additional job outside of their main full-time job. The data here suggests that this is twice as likely to be the case for those working in the office full time.

It feels undeniable, that enforcing a return to the office full time, is not the way to go. For Boots (and we are picking on them here slightly) and the Values that they say matter most to them, it doesn’t feel aligned to what they value. Are they reflecting the communities they serve (connected) or leading with integrity and striving towards the future (committed). I think we have already established that they may not have been particularly curious, but maybe we can grant them with being courageous, because they may well have opportunities to deal with conflict head on!

When people are back in the office, Amrit speaks in the podcast about needing to be aware of, and committed to, not favouring those that are in the office over those who aren’t. Proximity Bias is when those who are physically nearer a leader are favoured and are bestowed all the benefits that come with that, and that those that are out of sight, are out of mind. This was even a phenomenon when we were all in the office, so let’s imagine it is not going to get any better for those people working from home, in fact, if you are someone that has fought to keep your hybrid set up, it could be fair to say that not only might you be out of mind, but also out of favour.

A study from the Society of Human Resource Management found that two-thirds of supervisors who had remote workers reporting to them, believed these people were more replaceable than those that worked on site, and that they also sometimes forgot about those that were working remotely (42%). That said it is not always intentional, it’s like any other cognitive bias, however it really does need to be in a leaders awareness and mitigated against. Otherwise, we could find ourselves in the realms of favouritism, unfairness and undermining diversity, inclusion and belonging, which we know are so important, if we really do care and want to bring humanness to work.

What is the answer then, if employers are wanting staff to return to the office full time and employees are wanting to remain hybrid? It’s not ‘office peacocking’! Owls report says that employees want first and foremost, help with travel costs (38%), followed by greater privacy at the office (34%), having a way of knowing when the people they want to see are in the building (33%), and to not have to adhere to a dress code (24%). These things are important to people.

However, companies need to be aware, 90% of hybrid workers say they feel equally or more productive when working in a hybrid way, 79% of managers report feeling their team is more productive when working remotely/hybrid, and 42% are prepared to look for another job should their flexibility be removed.

Perhaps the answer lies, not in where people work, but how they work and how they are served by their employer, to be able to do their best work. How are we engaging with those outside of the office and how often? How skilled and supported are managers with remote teams? How many people are being offered promotions and development opportunities outside of the office? How clear are the objectives being set, so people know what they need to be doing, and how well they are doing it? What are the team norms for engagement and communication with each other? Have they been thought about even? Just a few questions to consider!

While Sebastian James believes there is no doubt in his mind that the culture will be improved by everyone being together (at least that is how it has been for him), unless he addresses the reality that people have tasted a different way of working, and value their flexibility greatly, the culture will change, but not necessarily for the better.

Listen to the podcast here.