A visit to the office can bring greater than just free coffee and gossip amongst colleagues.
Amid the continuing dispute between employees and executives over returning to the office, 86% of CEOs say they’ll “reward employees who make an effort to come to the office with favorable assignments, raises or promotions,” in line with a KPMG survey of 400 US CEOs. In other words, executives admit that they like office staff because they’ve higher probabilities of getting raises and promotions.
But because the response to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s call for workers to work within the office full-time shows, staff are anything but blissful with the return to in-person work. While CEOs “increasingly support a full return to the office, the need for flexibility remains,” the CEO and U.S. chairman of KPMG wrote within the report.
However, it is vital to notice that KPMG’s study reflects statements from CEOs said they’d do—not what they’ve actually done. And especially given the criticism some CEOs have faced for speaking out about working within the office, some may find yourself giving back and creating hybrid or distant work environments.
Why managers prefer office staff
Serial CEO and entrepreneur Naeem Zafar told Assets He prefers employees who come to the office because they show greater commitment.
“These people deserve more opportunities, possible promotions and rewards,” said Zafar, a lecturer on the University of California at Berkeley and currently CEO of the economic IOT company TeleSenseHe was also co-founder and CEO of Bitzer Mobile, a acquired by Oracle in 2013.
“Of course, it’s more convenient for all of us to work from home and not have to worry about getting dressed up, driving to work, fighting traffic and other obligations that come with showing up,” Zafar said.
While he admits that certain roles – like IT, sales or research and development – don’t require as much in-person presence, it’s still essential for management to be present. But for workers who “want to become part of management, get promoted and move the company forward, that’s going to be much more difficult if they’re not physically working together in the office.”
Other managers also wish to get to know the people they wish to promote and assign to vital projects.
“Personal interaction provides a valuable relationship investment that allows leaders to better understand a person’s strengths, challenges and growth curve,” says Jennifer Schielke, CEO of a recruiting firm Summit Group Solutionstold Assets“While technology fills some gaps, it cannot fully replace the depth of human connections that come from face-to-face collaboration.”
But not all firms have returned to their workplace
While CEOs say they like office staff for promotions, raises and higher assignments, other firms are sticking to their distant work policies. In fact, some firms are reaping the advantages of fully distant work.
Take Zillow, for instance, which recently reported that the variety of applications it received quadrupled because it switched to distant work. In addition, several CEOs of major firms even earn a living from home themselves, including Brian Niccol, the present CEO of Starbucks and former CEO of Chipotle.
And CEOs of smaller firms still insist that distant work might be just as successful as working within the office – and that it offers the identical opportunities for advancement. Cathryn Lavery, co-founder and CEO of BestSelfCo., told Assets that their trust and performance are more vital than physical presence.
“Even in hybrid environments, promotion should be based on performance, not attendance. While in-person collaboration can be beneficial for certain tasks, such as creative brainstorming, remote work can be just as effective when implemented correctly,” Lavery said. “The future of work is about flexibility, trust and results – not who spends the most time at the desk.”
