Incentives companies are using to bring employees back in house

The Irish Times comment on the upcoming return to work for many and addressing how companies are attracting and retaining staff.

September 20th; a date that will be met with excitement or apprehension. The coming weeks and months will likely see a return to the office for hundreds of thousands of employees who last stepped foot in work back in March 2020.

Many will look forward to seeing people in the office for collaboration and coffee chats. Others may fear the disruption to their routine at home.

Deirdre Costello, senior director, office leasing with JLL Ireland comments:

“Sentiment has definitely changed since the beginning of the pandemic,” she says, but adds that employees may need a few incentives to help them readjust and happily return to the workplace.

“Occupiers are looking to make their spaces as safe and attractive as possible to encourage collaboration and teams back to the office. When looking for offices, whether for the first time or perhaps you’re relocating, the ability to attract talent is crucial. Things like building amenities, local food and beverage offerings, and accessibility to public transport are what attract people,”

“We’re hearing that a lack of personal face-to-face time is having an impact on graduates, trainees and new hires,” says Fionnuala O’Buachalla, senior director, and head of tenant representation with JLL Ireland. “The opportunity to pop over to someone to ask a question has disappeared, replaced by a more formal Teams call or email, so there are real lost learning opportunities. There’s also a significant impact when it comes to promotion opportunities, the risk being ‘out of sight, out of mind’, leaving employees feeling undervalued and employers losing key talent.”

“Flexibility will be key to retaining existing staff,” says Ms O’Buachalla, adding, “the question is what that flexibility will look like”.

These incentives could be social perks or, given the popularity of getting a pet during the pandemic, employers could offer a dedicated day for bringing your pet to work.

“Something that would especially appeal to those who became a new pet owner during lockdown!” says Ms O’Buachalla.

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