3 Realities of Returning to the Office

We're all sick of living in "unprecedented times". Wouldn't it be nice to just get back to the way things were pre-COVID? With vaccines now in surplus and the CDC announcing confidence in the future, things seem to be trending back toward functional.

The question surfaces: what have we learned from the forced work-from-home transition?

• Many employees find they prefer to work from home.
• Many Managers are eager to get employees back into the office.
• Revenue lost needs to be made up.
• Almost everyone feels a need to get out and see the world again.

I've discovered three very likely trends that will serve to characterize the Great Return to Work:

Double Down on Revenue Goals

There has been intense concentration on safety when it comes to returning to the office. Leaders have taken steps to put employee wellbeing above all else in considering workforce transition. That said, many companies have a lot of work to do to recoup lost revenue.

Let's not sugar coat it: Quotas are Going to Double!

Many sales professionals have been given an understandable reprieve from quota attainment over the last year...... Vacation time is over!

Sales professionals will need to work harder than ever as office doors reopen. This will require the support of proper sales enablement tools, tireless prospecting, training on new market approaches and renewed focus on pipeline development. With audacious goals come big rewards! Those who endure the title wave of revenue enhancement will be surfing in Hawaii come 2022.

It's extremely important to have a system that will help sales professionals (and their managers) measure progress to goal attainment, incent and recognize the critical steps to a sale, to foster friendly competition and to celebrate achievement!

Employee Recognition Will Help Foster Mental Health

In a recent post for the Society for Human Resource Management, I highlighted the critical role HR professionals will play in the return to the office. Business Unit Managers who expect to jump back into micro-management practices will find their employees turning to Human Resources swiftly. Simply put, an emphasis on mental health support will be an identified management skill for the foreseeable future.

Make no mistake about it, Employee Recognition will be the centerpiece of employee development in the year ahead. As quotas double and employees fight their anxiety of returning to in-person interaction, the assurance of recognition will be a necessity.

You'll need a system that gives Managers discretionary budgets to reward employee progress, a social feed to emphasize collective celebration of achievement, the measurement of behavioral traits that will strengthen critical skill development and a safe space for employees to lavish in positivity.

Better yet, if you can pair your sales incentives with points for employee recognition, the buying power of the employee will elevate them to higher effort enhanced through larger reward suites.

Experiences are The Future of Incentives

Everyone has sat at their lap top planning their vacation itinerary for the first possible opportunity to get out. If we are able to combine incentives (quantitative rewards) with behavioral development (qualitative rewards), employees can plan a trip to an exotic location to celebrate their effort. It may take a while but accruing points through various initiatives will provide intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to ensure everybody wins!

Having a system in place that will measure goal attainment, share appreciation for effort, pad mental health through recognition, share results through social feeds and provide a variety of rewards (incremental and stretch goals) will be the driving force to returning to the office profitably and safely.

Work Hard! Play Hard! Celebrate.... !!

Dave