How to communicate return-to-office mandates

Return-to-office (RTO) mandates are back in the headlines, with Barclays the latest organisation to increase the number of days some employees are expected to spend in the office. I’m not going to enter the debate about whether RTO mandates are a good idea, but I do have views on how you communicate those decisions.

I know first-hand that these aren’t easy change communications. As a communicator, you can quickly find yourself between a rock and a hard place. Leaders want the communication out, and for everyone to comply. Meanwhile, colleagues may be using you to vent their frustrations.

Remember to address emotional needs

Leaders may be focused on explaining why the decision makes sense for the organisation, and communicators also need to consider how people may experience the change. Where, and how we work is personal. Changes in working patterns can affect commuting costs, childcare, and established routines. For some, it affects the decisions they’ve made about where they live.

|It’s important to set measurable objectives around what people need to know, feel and do. So, how will comms help employees understand what is changing and why?

Prioritise understanding over agreement. People can understand the rationale, while still disagreeing with the decision. If we make agreement the goal, we risk over-selling the benefits or glossing over genuine downsides.

Make space for listening. Leaders can sometimes be reluctant to invite feedback when a decision has already been made. But, listening doesn’t mean putting the decision to a vote. For people to feel heard, it means believing that your views have been listened to, and taken seriously. It doesn’t mean getting the outcome you want.

Also, explain why the additional day matters. If you’re asking people to move from two days in the office to three, expect the question: “What will we achieve in three days that we aren’t achieving in two?”

Avoid relying on broad statements about culture, connection or collaboration. If there is a meaningful benefit to employees, explain it. What will be easier or better as a result? Sometimes the rationale may ultimately amount to: “This is the direction we’ve decided to take”. If that’s the reality, don’t dress it up.

Language, in this instance, Remember that much of the RTO debate is focused on the flexibility for office workers. Around 70-80 percent of the global workforce is estimated to be deskless, and for many frontline employees, working from home has never been an option.

That doesn’t make the concerns of office-based colleagues any less legitimate. But, it does mean communicators need to think carefully about fairness and the language we use.

Five tips for communicating RTO

1. Give people time and space to ask questions, raise concerns and, yes, vent. Acknowledge what you’re hearing and be clear about what can and can’t change.
2. Know the role communication needs to play in achieving the business outcome. If the business objective is for employees to attend the workplace three days a week, don’t simply turn that into your communication objective. 
3. Explain the why. Communicate the purpose honestly, without trying to manufacture benefits. If it’s because that’s what the business has decided, then you need to say that.
4. Review your communication through the rational and emotional experience of the change. Are you acknowledging emotional needs?
5. Think about the language you use. For many frontline employees, working from home has never been an option, so try not to create an us and them culture.