And the pendulum swings

Five years ago, the workplace pendulum had barely moved for decades.

Broadly speaking, we got up, we went to work, we came home.

That was the social contract of the day and, in the most part, happily accepted.

“You pay me. I come to work.”

And then, Covid, and the ensuing lockdowns, threw the pendulum almost as far from its comfortable centre point as it could possibly swing.

Off we all scattered to our homes and the very rapid adjustments many of us had to make. We revelled in the slow down – and the breathing space.

Many thought (some wished) our new ways of working would last forever – a hard reset on the hard slog of commuting and long workplace hours. Of travel costs and school run stress.

But as we settle into 2025, the pendulum is clearly swinging again.

After the softer returns to the office of 22/23/24, more businesses are demanding more IRL time from their people.

And it’s bringing plenty of tension with it.

Between employers and employees and between working models.

The Forbes Q4 Flex Report notes that 32% of US firms require Full Time in Office, while 25% require no office time at all.

The trend back to more time in the office is being led by bigger, Enterprise-level businesses, while companies of 500 employees or less lead the way on more flexible models.

Recruiters are reporting that questions about working location and hybrid models are the first on almost all potential candidates list now.

1. Employees being forced into the office more days may resent the idea it suggests they aren’t trusted.

Employers must show their people why that’s not the case. Be active in demonstrating how the drive to return is about genuine advantages: boosting culture and collaboration, better employee engagement, more structure for existing teams and better onboarding for new hires, improved innovation and accountability, and a healthier work-life balance, as the boundaries between home and workplace resettle.

2. Employees might be frustrated that their personal circumstances have changed and their budgets adapted – from childcare to commuting.

Companies must show empathy and compassion for individual circumstances, accepting practical parts of people’s lives have changed – it will go a long way to easing some of the tension. Understanding the stresses of making more office days feasible will be an important part of managing workplace wellbeing.

3. Employees have had almost five years of flexibility, and it’s had great advantages that feel hard to let go of.

Tensions are often eased by compromise. Employers and employees must both play a part in making the return to offices work. But employers also have the right to expect their people to come in, not just dial in.

As the pendulum continues to swing, it could still be some time before it settles to a commonly accepted ‘normal’ again.

Perhaps it won’t and it will be up to individuals to decide where they work based on the model they want to work in, rather than the company they want to work for.

Ultimately, we may all need to acknowledge and embrace the fact that the social (rather than legal) contract of work needs to be redrafted. But the final terms are yet to be negotiated.

In the meantime, our advice for 2025 is simple… Be human.