Survey shows top strategies being used by HR to entice people back, reduce turnover
HR executives are struggling to bring back staff to the office, according to a new report, as CEOs continue pushing an on-site return that HR leaders said risks losing talent.
A survey among 185 HR executives from The Conference Board found that 73% are finding it difficult to encourage employees to return to workplaces.
According to the report, 56% of workers are still working remotely at least part of the time. Another 76% said professional and office workers remain under a hybrid or remote schedule.
The findings indicate that the pushback from employees regarding on-site return remains strong.
CEOs who have been pushing for office returns have been growing frustrated with this resistance, with one Sydney-based CEO even calling those who refuse to come back as "selfish."
But forcing employees to return only puts retention at risk, according to the report, which revealed that 71% of organisations mandating on-site work reported difficulty retaining talent.
Voluntary turnover among fully on-site workers also increased 26% in the last six months, twice the rate among fully remote employees at 13%.
The situation may likely stem from flexibility becoming a "necessity" for many employees following the pandemic. In fact, research as early as 2021 revealed that 51.5% of employees left their employers because they refuse to return to workplaces.
To balance organisational and workforce demands on where to work, the report found that 68% of HR leaders are considering or implementing talent strategies to increase on-site work. These strategies include:
Robin Erickson, PhD, Vice President of Human Capital, The Conference Board, said hybrid work is "likely the solution" to this dilemma.
"These survey results make clear, offering hybrid work is a critical tool in the toolkit for attracting and retaining workers, especially amid a strong labour market that continues to defy expectations," Erickson said in a statement.
Previous research has also encouraged employers to ensure that their office return strategies would make coming back "commute-worthy."
"Companies are offering more perks and increasing compensation to entice workers back to the office. But they need to make coming to the office more purposeful and 'commute-worthy," said Jeanne Meister, Executive VP, Executive Networks.
