Office peacocking? Just don’t cock up your communication

Nigel Dunn at Jabra explains that making the office look attractive is all very well, but it isn’t a substitute for strategic employee management

In today’s dynamic job market, providing flexibility and autonomy is a prized benefit for employees. Yet, the long-term sustainability of these benefits can be challenging. As businesses grapple with office attendance, new trends are starting to emerge, enticing staff back to physical workplaces.  

"Office Peacocking" - making office spaces more attractive through aesthetic enhancements such as upgrading décor and adding amenities - is the latest term that has been coined as an attempt by employers to encourage greater office attendance from staff. 

While these efforts can make the office more inviting, they fall short if they are the sole strategy employed. Leaders must learn to understand the mindset, attitudes and values of their team. 

Be seen, heard and valued 

The debate surrounding the return to the office is often misunderstood, with confusion around whether employers secretly desire a full return to the office or not. In fact, 63% of employees favour a hybrid work model, according to Jabra’s research. 

So, how can employers encourage a return to the office, engage on the right level and avoid miscommunication?

The office should be a place for building relationships and creating meaningful interactions that cannot be easily replicated in a remote setting. Millennials are most likely to feel left out in online meetings and feel the most ostracised, so the office should be where employees feel they can be seen and valued on a personal level. It should be a place where everyone feels motivated and inspired.

The focus should also be on creating an environment that lends itself to personal growth, career development and training – and recognising the things that have more impact face to face.

In Jabra’s report, Mind the Gap – How Gen Z is Disrupting the Workplace in 2024, when asked what makes them feel connected with their colleagues at work, one third (33%) of Gen Z in the UK found face-to-face with their peers and manager a key factor. Being with colleagues in person surfaced as the number one reason for GenZ employees feeling a sense of belonging at work. 

Transparency and trust

Sometimes nothing beats spending time together in person. But a significant barrier in the return-to-office is the miscommunication between leadership and staff. Many employees feel their concerns are overlooked, leading to a sense of distrust. Nearly a third (29%) of GenZ in the UK feel uncomfortable taking up conversations about feeling unhappy at work with their manager.

Effective communication must start from the top, with leaders being transparent about their intentions and the rationale behind policies for returning to the office. The language used in communication—whether it conveys policy or principle, mandate or motivation—greatly affects how these messages are received.

Leaders can do more to ensure staff feel a sense of autonomy, rather than believing they are being dictated to by a larger business and its objectives.

Bridging the gaps: know your team, talk their language 

Shrinking the space between leaders and employees can be made a lot simpler by businesses identifying areas of broad agreement from the outset. This involves directly engaging with employees to understand their preferences and needs. Leaders should base their strategies on this feedback, ensuring that their plans align with the actual desires of their workforce. 

However, it’s critical for organisations to take time to really understand the views and nuances of their workforce when it comes to different generations. For example, not all is as it seems, given 69% of the UK’s Gen Z feels stressed and experience symptoms of burnout due to work, yet still report they feel happy in their everyday work life.

Tackling these paradoxes will be tricky, if not impossible, if leaders don’t develop genuine professional relationships with colleagues, so they feel comfortable discussing grievances and how to solve them.

Essential to this is empathy in communication. Leaders should consider how their messages would be received if they were in their employees’ shoes. If a policy were communicated to them after they had adjusted to a work style that enhanced their productivity and well-being, would they feel empowered or disheartened?

Crafting messages with empathy can ensure that communications are perceived as genuine and supportive. By adopting this approach, leaders can bridge the communication gap and build a more trusting relationship with their employees.

Effective communication about returning to the office more frequently involves more than just policy implementation—it requires understanding and a genuine effort to cater to the needs and preferences of the workforce.

More than mandates and new paint! 

The path to a successful return to the office involves much more than aesthetic improvements or policy mandates. Effective communication about returning to the office involves more than just policy implementation—it requires understanding and a genuine effort to cater to the needs and preferences of the workforce. 

It demands a comprehensive approach that includes transparent communication, meaningful incentives, and an authentic attempt to understand and meet the needs of employees. By focusing on these principles, businesses can create a work environment that is not only productive but also supportive and engaging for all.

Nigel Dunn is VP EMEA North at Jabra

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and Robert Daly