Returning to the office: what this means for tech workers

From 19th July, the remaining COVID restrictions in England were lifted, enabling businesses to work towards reopening their offices to staff. With many tech employees having worked from home for over a year, employers need to plan returns to the workplace in a way that cares for their people and safeguards their health and wellbeing.

Let’s take a closer look at what a return to the office means for tech staff:

Embracing a hybrid working model

According to a recent survey shared by Yahoo Finance, just over half (57%) of employees said they did not want to go back to ‘the normal way of working’ in an office environment with normal office hours. A hybrid working model could provide the best of both worlds, enabling workers to plan when they will work from the office and when they’ll work remotely.

Some of the biggest tech companies are already embracing this model. For example, Google’s UK headquarters in London is planning to implement ‘collaboration days’, where around 60% of teams will work from the office three times a week. Being open to hybrid working and staggering shifts can help staff avoid public transport during rush hour and ensure that offices adhere to social distancing.

CWJobs’ Confidence Index 2020 revealed that the most time-consuming task for tech teams during lockdown was setting people up to work remotely. With all the effort that went into setting up new infrastructures, companies will need to ensure that their office infrastructure still works effectively and is in sync with its remote teams.

Spacing out desks, adjusting air-conditioning systems, adding floor markings and organising thorough cleaning routines will be essential to making staff feel safe when they return. Some offices may also need to organise COVID testing for workers and install thermal cameras upon entry.

The impact of office working on tech staff

Recent research from our sister site Totaljobs, reveals that over half (56%) of workers are concerned about their safety when returning to the office. Likewise, over two-thirds (67%) are concerned about their job security. Businesses should look to acknowledge and address these concerns to support their staff. For many, the idea of returning to the workplace after the pandemic and over a year of remote working can seem daunting.

Distributing surveys to staff ahead of their return can be a good way of gauging stress levels in an organisation and identifying ways of supporting employees. It’s important for management to acknowledge how workers are feeling and to raise any concerns on a department or company-wide level.

According to a recent report from Harvey Nash, mental health concerns among tech workers have increased by 75% during the pandemic. Similarly, software company meQuilibrium’s recent white paper on the impact of COVID-19 on workforce resilience finds that tech workers suffered the broadest negative changes of any industry. A 30% drop in motivation, increased job stress (11%), disordered sleep (14%), and burnout (23%) are some of the changes they’ve experienced.

Improving the level of wellbeing support in a company can provide more options to those who need help. Counselling services, gym memberships and access to meditation apps can help improve an employee’s health and wellbeing. Airbnb for example, provides free yoga classes to its employees. Nike has relaxation rooms, and Apple provides its employees with regular mindfulness training.

Employers should aim to establish support networks, whether in the form of counselling, employee-led groups or support from line managers. Providing employees with a space to talk about wellbeing can ensure that preventative measures are put in place early.

Skills, training and onboarding new team members

After over a year of remote working, many tech workers will be keen to embrace upskilling and training opportunities. CWJobs’ report on tackling tech training finds that many employers plan to develop tech expertise in 2021 through investing in upskilling (22%), reskilling (21%), entry-level roles (20%) and experienced roles (21%).

For some organisations, the pandemic has highlighted a skills gap in their tech department. HR teams looking to bridge this talent gap need to invest time and budget into developing bespoke training programmes to meet employees’ needs. Not only does investing in upskilling and training help nurture much-needed tech candidates – it attracts new candidates to roles.

For new team members, a return to the office will mean meeting colleagues and managers face-to-face for the first time. However, with staggered office hours, many meetings and collaborative projects will still need to be conducted online.

CWJobs’ video recruiting software can help companies on-board new staff remotely. Employers can set up meetings in minutes, work across any device and conduct live video calls. Companies can also use our Company Profile and Premium Ads to communicate effectively with candidates on how they plan to transition staff back to the workplace.

The latest technology advancements

According to Info Security Magazine, hacking and phishing attempts were up 37% at the start of lockdown in March 2020. Throughout the pandemic, it’s likely that company laptops have been used for non-work-related activities, whether it be children logging in to Zoom Classroom, streaming films in the evening, or online shopping.

Companies may therefore need to invest in upgrading their security systems as workers bring their laptops back into the office and connect to local networks.

According to a recent report published by the UK government, cyber security is seen as the most in-demand tech specialism by businesses. This echoes CWJobs’ own research, which finds that 48% of UK businesses have a basic cyber security skills gap. Upskilling workers to manage cyber security will undoubtedly help companies futureproof their business over the coming months and years.

Artificial intelligence will also likely become more integrated into workplaces in the near future. Many companies already use AI chat bots to send automated messages to customers, provide troubleshooting advice and direct enquiries to relevant departments.

In the future, AI could be used to help companies make predictions, diagnose technical issues and conduct analyses to helps human workers make more informed decisions and resolve issues quicker. It can also be used to predict the future performance of employees.

For example, IBM uses its Watson computer system evaluates each individual’s performance data (in a fraction of the time it would take a human), and predict how well an employee will perform in the coming years – with 96% accuracy.

AI can also help in the recruitment process by quickly matching candidate profiles to job descriptions, pre-qualifying applicants before the interview stage. Psychometric testing tools like Teamwork Pro from tech platform Good&Co are already being used to recruit candidates in a range of industries. Likewise, augmented writing tools like Textio use data and predictive analytics to identify the most effective language to use in job adverts.