'Nobody wanted to come back to the office'

Two years ago, when Moneris Solutions asked employees about returning to the office, the overwhelming majority indicated they would like to keep working from home for two to three days a week, says Denise Hayes, CHRO.

But when the financial tech company eventually did launch a hybrid model two years later, those sentiments had shifted.

“Nobody wanted to come back to the office,” she says. “People have really adapted to working from home, and it’s become their preferred work environment.”

Finding that balance will be one of several issues discussed by an expert panel at the upcoming HR Leaders Summit, in which Hayes will be participating.

The session will look at how organizations can offer employees the flexibility to work where, when and how they choose, while ensuring they thrive both physically and mentally whether at home or the workplace.

Why bother?

For Hayes, the biggest challenge is getting people to actually want to come into the office.

“We feel there's a lot of benefit to being in the office, at least part of the time; the reality of it is our employee base is not feeling that way.”

Originally, safety was the biggest concern but now, people aren’t convinced the trek to the office is worth the effort, she says.

They think, “I'm not coming into the office to sit on Teams calls all day long — that's not useful, I can do that from home and be just as effective and more effective because I don't have to commute.”

Plus there are the additional costs from inflation and gas prices and parking, along with family considerations, says Hayes.

“They've also adapted with personal lifestyle choices with their children or they'll take time off during the day to take their kids to and from work or whatever, and then they'll work in the evening. So it's… a big shift in lifestyle choices.”

Turnover concerns

However, Moneris is not mandating a return to the workplace as this could lead to increased turnover and decreased engagement, she says.

“We've always approached our entire approach to the pandemic, and our policies, and even the approach to hybrid work… as test and learn. So we're continuing in that mindset, and trying to work with employees,” says Hayes.

“We're assessing what or if or how do we need to evolve this method as we go forward, or... this may just be the new norm for Moneris, because it's working for us right now.”

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There are still issues to be worked out, such as optimizing technology and integrating the in-office experience with the home environment to make for a seamless experience, says Hayes.

“We’re getting better at it but there’s certainly still some bugs to be worked out.”

And as further enticement, the 2,000-employee company is trying to give employees a genuine purpose and reason to come into the office, she says, such as social events and team meetings.

“It's really [about] having meaningful, purposeful reasons to come in and collaborate face to face.”

Panel session

The panel session on hybrid work arrangements at the upcoming HR Leaders Summit will also cover the following:

• Understanding the important role that HR leaders play in enabling hybrid work.
• Creating a healthy, safe, and empowering hybrid workspace and home-space.
• Best practices for keeping hybrid workers motivated and engaged
• Managing hybrid work mental health issues such as social anxiety, health anxiety and stress.
• Workers’ compensation and accommodation services required for hybrid workers.