We’re going to go out on a limb here and guess that free food is as hard for you to resist as it is for us. That’s why, with employees getting set to return to physical offices in the new year, it’s no surprise that one of the most popular perks to welcome them back is providing free breakfast or lunch on site. It’s a great way to help your team stay healthy and energized while also providing an opportunity to mingle with coworkers across departments and levels of experience.
As with everything we do, we’re also interested in helping companies explore this healthy team-building opportunity in a sustainable way. From the food source to the serving utensils, here are some ideas for ordering sustainable food options for your office.
Whenever possible, order from local vendors who provide an array of in-season foods. Not only will you be supporting another local business, but by cutting out the miles that most national bands travel to your supermarket, you’ll be saving gas and drastically lowering the carbon footprint of your meal.
Instead of ordering large catering portions of a few dishes, take more precise orders from everyone who will be joining the meal. Even if they’re just choosing from the limited menu that you previously ordered in bulk, getting an accurate headcount will help you hone in on the correct amount of food and prevent extra servings from ending up in the garbage (and later on becoming greenhouse gases).
If you do end up with extra food, look for a local mutual aid group or food shelter that can help redistribute it to neighbors in need. If your leftovers are closer to scraps than actual meals, send the appropriate food groups to a compost pile. The benefits of composting organic foods like fruits and vegetables includes:
Composting sustainably-sourced food to help create more sustainable food for our community is a cycle we don’t mind getting caught up in!
Vegetarianism isn’t for everyone, but there are a lot of green-, grain-, and bean-based dishes that fill you up and taste great. If even one team meal a week was meatless it would make a significant difference in cutting the harmful emissions produced by the meat industry.
Salad, soup, pizza, and pasta are other easy ideas for feeding a crowd delicious meals that don’t necessarily include meat.
Sustainable meals include beverages, too, and a touchless water cooler is a great way to give the whole office flexibility over their choices while limiting nonrecyclable materials. Not only have Bevi water coolers saved over 200 million single-use bottles from ending up in a landfill or polluting a body of water, but using these machines also eliminates the oil needed to create plastic and the emissions that come with transporting them.
And those are just the environmental benefits! With over a dozen zero and low-calorie flavors, and the choice between sparkling and still, a Bevi water cooler is a natural companion to a healthy and sustainable catered meal at your office.
If your office has a dishwasher, reusable plates and silverware are a no brainer. Don’t just stop at personal forks and knives, though. If the team meal becomes a recurring event, it will make sense to invest in reusable serving utensils as well. Even better would be centering meals around foods like wraps or sandwiches that don’t require utensils and using platters instead of individual boxes for each meal.
Even without a dishwasher, you could still rotate dish duty and provide natural cleaning supplies as part of a greater effort to make your office more sustainable (and if you need a few more ideas in that regard, we’ve got 30 of them). If it’s necessary to dispose of items after eating, make sure your plates and utensils are compostable!
Sustainability doesn’t stop when the order is placed or the meal is served. Make sure that everyone knows where they can take their recyclable or compostable materials at meal’s end. For starters, put out bins for recycling and composting next to the trash receptacle and make an announcement about the best way for the components of the meal to be cleaned up. Communicating intentions and setting goals that are in line with your office’s commitment to sustainability is an ongoing effort.
On a busy day, it’s easy to forget to eat lunch or to grab something quick and processed instead of a healthy snack. That’s why providing breakfast or lunch is one way to ensure a smooth return to the office for all employees. With that comes the responsibility and challenge of doing so sustainably.
How are you planning to welcome employees back? Does it involve a healthy, sustainable meal? Let us know by joining the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn!
We’ve previously written about ways to promote sustainability in your office through initiatives like reevaluating office recycling and instructions for composting at work. We’ve also written about must-have perks to help employees return to the office. What we haven’t talked about is how your office can combine the two with a sustainable benefits package.
It’s well known that benefits are an important way to keep employees happy and healthy, but did you know that employee benefits could be environmentally friendly as well? Do you know if your current benefits are?
If you’re hesitant about rocking the boat, there’s plenty of evidence that adding green benefits to your traditional package is good for the whole company. According to a recent study, 71% of CFOs said that social responsibility programs helped increase employee morale, and 60% said they enhanced recruiting and retention efforts. Another report found that 65% of employees would be more likely to work for a company with a strong environmental policy.
It’s clear that sustainable practices will become more and more important for attracting and retaining top talent, and employee benefits are one area where most organizations have room to improve. Here are a few ideas for making your benefits package more sustainable.
One way to reduce carbon emissions is to decrease our reliance on individual cars and find alternative methods of transportation for commuters. Because driving yourself to work is a convenient option, employees will need a nudge toward a more sustainable commuting method.
For the train and bus crowd, subsidize monthly passes for your workforce. For walkers and bikers, offer stipends for comfortable shoes and bike gear. Every employee diverted to a greener transportation method will contribute to a reduced carbon footprint for your organization.
With many offices turning to a hybrid model of work, employees will continue to draw on spaces and resources at home to get their work done. Even when employees are off-campus, you can still influence their choices when it comes to sustainable use of energy, food, and waste management. A few ways you can support the sustainability of working from home is by providing rebates for green supplies like energy-efficient appliances, solar panels, and at-home compost kits.
Year after year, the most popular perk is paid time off. If your PTO policy is capped at a certain number of days, allow employees to access more time off when they use it to volunteer with a sustainability-focused organization. This could be as casual as a community cleanup or as formal as a workshop that gives them tools and resources that they can bring back and present to the whole office.
Many businesses already generously match charitable donations. If you want to help nudge employees toward supporting sustainable organizations, increase the match percentage for recipients that meet a certain criteria. When employees know that you’ll increase the impact of their contributions, they’ll be more likely to donate to these causes.
A large part of the food industry’s carbon footprint comes from the emissions created during transportation. That’s why a guiding principle in the creation of Bevi was eliminating the miles that bottled water needed to travel by tapping our water dispensers right at the source.
A few ways you can support your local food and gardening efforts is by subsidizing memberships to a food co-op or CSA box (community-supported agriculture). For employees who want to try composting at home, you could also subsidize compost equipment and gardening supplies.
When developing a sustainable benefits program, it’s important to allow room for flexibility and experimentation while figuring out the most effective benefits for your employees. The best way to do that is to give them agency in the process by allowing them to suggest sustainable initiatives that are worthwhile and meaningful to them. Similar to flexible health spending, this budget could be allocated for a variety of sustainable purchases like energy efficiency products, food waste management systems, or a bottleless water cooler for the office. When employees are involved in the early stages of new programs, they are far more likely to buy in and remain invested in its success.
Benefits have always been a way for employers to show their employees that they’re invested in their wellbeing. They’re now also an opportunity for employers to show that they’re invested in the wellbeing of the environment and committed to being part of a sustainable future. For more and more job seekers, social responsibility is factoring into where they want to work and those who don’t incorporate sustainable benefits may be left behind.
How does your business think about the sustainability of its benefits? We’d love to hear your thoughts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn!
Employees have been working from home for over two years now. They’ve figured out how to recreate their workspaces, how to get the best light for video calls, and how to remain productive away from the office.
That’s understandable. Working from home has added a lot of benefits to the workforce. It’s eliminated time spent commuting and allowed people to spend more time with their families and invest in their personal pursuits. It’s also allowed people to find more flexibility within their workdays and figure out the unique schedules that make them most productive.
As much as the distance from the office can be a good thing, though, those same benefits can be an obstacle to the communication and inspiration that happens best in person. If you’re ready to get back in the office and are struggling to come up with ways to entice employees to come join you after being away for so long, try some of these incentives.
According to research from the Blackhawk Network, cash is still king when it comes to employee incentives as 62% of respondents said that monetary bonuses would get them back to the office. If that’s not your company’s style, remember that time is also money. In addition to one-time bonuses, employees who return could be rewarded with extra paid time off or shorter work weeks. For a certain amount of days in the office, reward them with a day working from home or a day off altogether.
We’ve grown used to having access to our own kitchens for snacking and cooking between meetings. With a return to the office imminent, employees may be concerned about packing healthy snacks and the cost of eating out for lunch again. As they settle back into the office routine, help them worry about one less thing by catering meals. If you’re starting with a few days a week back in the office, provide breakfast on some days and lunch on the others. Knowing there’s a fresh meal waiting in the office will allow everyone to focus on getting back up to speed in other areas.
Proper hydration is just as important as full stomachs. With our new Standup 2.0 water dispenser, your employees have the ability to customize what’s in their glass. In addition to hot and cold and still and sparkling water options, everyone can also add delicious flavors and healthy enhancements like electrolytes and immunity. With health concerns still top of mind, hydrating and boosting immune systems has never been more important, and a Bevi water cooler makes it easy and fun.
During this time away from the office, people have moved out of the cities where their companies are headquartered. New talent has been recruited from across the country. People who work together every day have never been in the same room.
Get everyone on the same page and excited about working together by throwing a return to office kickoff party. Fly in the satellite offices, plan a schedule of strategic and social programming, and remind everyone how much fun it is to be working toward a common goal in the same space.
Show returning employees how happy you are to have them back with a sustainable gift. It could be a work bag made from recycled materials or a reusable water bottle or it could be something specific to the return. Similar to providing meals, covering commuting costs or childcare shows that you’re aware of the extra effort that you’re asking of your employees and that you’re willing to help them through it.
If there isn’t one item or category that makes sense for everyone, allow employees to expense a one-time purchase on something that makes them excited to return to the office. It could be used on plants for their desk, a new outfit, or anything else that contributes to good feelings about being back.
It’s only natural that employees will need a nudge to get back into the office after an extended time away from it. Don’t be afraid to involve the whole company in the process of finding the best way to navigate this transition. They’re the experts on the materials and resources that will successfully fill up your office again.
As you make your plan, make sure to consult a few more of our return to office guides like How to mentally prepare for a return to the office, What makes the happiest employees, and 4 ways to ensure a smooth return to the office for all employees.
What incentives are you considering for your company? We’d love to hear from you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn!
A lot of great events that have been on hold for the past few years are coming back in 2022 in in-person and virtual varieties. For our friends in human resources and office management who’ve been missing out on professional development and networking opportunities, we wanted to highlight some of the best events coming up for their industries. We’ll even be at a few of the events so you can try out a Bevi machine in person!
Hacking HR gathers the brightest minds in the HR space to collaborate on innovation and the future of work. The theme of this year’s conference is “The Path Forward” and the programming will focus on “imagining the future we want to have and how to build it from HR.” This year’s event is virtual, but still offers opportunities for networking, thought leadership, education, and collaboration.
Register for Hacking HR 2022 here.
PERKSCon is an employee experience expo that takes place in various major cities from March through October. It’s a great opportunity for office managers to grow their careers, discover employee lifestyle benefits, and connect with peers. Check the schedule to see if it’s coming to a city near you this year:
Boston (March 31, 2022)*
NYC (April 26)*
Chicago (May 11)*
SF ( September 15)
LA (September 21)
Toronto (October 5)
*Bevi will be at PERKSCon in Boston in March, New York City in April, and Chicago in May. Stop by and customize your own beverage!
The Emerging Trends in Wellness Conference “brings together top industry leaders who share their vision and insight about corporate wellness, nutrition, fitness, entrepreneurship and leadership.” It’s on our radar because you can learn from experts about employee and corporate wellness. HR professionals should also note that this program is valid for 5.75 PDCs toward SHRM-CP® and SHRM-SCP® recertification.
Register for the conference here.
The Admin Awards focuses on recognizing administrative professionals for excellence in their field. They offer nine award categories including Rookie of the Year, the Above the Call Award, and The Colleen Barrett Award for Administrative Excellence. The Admin Awards is “a celebration where all who attend are treated to a special evening packed full of excellent food, significant prizes, entertainment and fun.” There are currently 9 cities that host awards ceremonies May through November, and we’ve listed their dates below. No ceremony in your region? Nominate your city here.
May 6 (Silicon Valley)
June 7 (Houston)
June 24 (Chicago)
July 21 (Seattle)
August 11 (Devner)
August 26 (Washington DC)
September 15 (Philadelphia)
Early October (San Francisco)
Late October (Boston)
Early November (Dallas | Fort Worth)
We highly recommend HR professionals prioritize this annual event for the Society for Human Resources Management. You can access best-in-class programming, complete with a customizable learning journey of skills development and competency-based HR education.
You can also earn professional development credits (PDCs) to work toward the required 60 credits needed to maintain your SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®. Want to go? Here are 5 ideas for convincing your boss to send you.
CultureCon’s mission is to transform organizational culture. Who is it for? “Change agents, who, regardless of role or title, are committed to inspiring positive change within their organizational culture. At CultureCon 2022, you will learn from industry-leading professionals with widespread expertise spanning employee engagement; corporate social responsibility; diversity, equity & inclusion; neuroscience; mindfulness; change management, and many other disciplines.” If that speaks to the HR professional or office manager in you, register here.
If you’re looking for resources, but a conference or expo isn’t for you, check out Office Ninjas.
The in-person events program is currently paused, but they have online education programs and resources “committed to giving administrative and operations professionals the opportunities needed to enrich their careers and be in strategic lockstep with their organizations.” Try them out by celebrating Admin+ Month with them in April. It’s a free online celebration and you can find more information here.
Spring is in the air, and with the warmer weather comes the age-old impulse to throw open the windows and get organized. As you get your living space cleaned up, don’t forget to give your workspace the same attention. We spend a significant amount of time at our desks and cleanliness and organization do wonders for productivity.
A lot of us haven’t been back to the office since we hastily packed up our desks a few years ago so this spring cleaning is an overdue one. As you get ready to return to the office and whip your desk into shape, here are a few simple ways to de-clutter and get your workspace back to its sparkling best.
Not many of us have a big corner office to worry about, but no matter the size of your workspace, it can help to break it down into areas of focus. One side is your computer and tech accessories, one part is supplies, and another could be personal items. If you make an effort to tidy one zone per day, you’ll be organized before the end of the week, every week.
The easiest way to de-clutter might also be the hardest: getting rid of things. If you think about it, you can get most of your responsibilities taken care of with a laptop or a phone. The rest may have their time and place, but if you don’t use something every day, is it really necessary to keep it on your desk at all times? If it doesn’t give you joy, it’s probably time to move on from it.
If a full-scale downsizing is too much to take on, consider a transfer system. Before introducing a new book or succulent, make a rule that for every one thing that comes into your workspace, one thing has to go out. With less clutter coming in, you’ll have more bandwidth to make tough decisions about what you can part with.
The office is no place for a junk drawer. If you’re saving paper clips for a rainy day, you’ll guarantee that it will never rain. You may feel prepared by keeping a random assortment of supplies in a drawer, but when these things are out of sight, they’re also out of mind. And they’ll just keep piling up. Instead of stashing extras in a drawer or cabinet, try to keep everything out in the open. This will force you to deal with how much you actually have and how often you actually use these things.
When we talk about spring cleaning, we’re not just talking about washing windows and tidying your desk. We also need to talk about your inbox. As emails pile up, they can clutter your mind and distract you from giving your best effort. If you know you won’t be able to get to an email on the day you receive it, snooze it or set a reminder to follow up so you can get it out of your immediate focus and get back to working on your priorities for the day.
Hang hooks for coats and bags, add a basket or drawers for paperwork (and label their contents) and put all those pens into a coffee mug. If you’re looking for sustainable organizers, reuse cardboard boxes like those that came with a recent shoe or jewelry purchase.
It’s not uncommon to see three or four different kinds of beverages on one desk—a plastic water bottle, a can of soda, a cup of coffee. We need water, caffeine, and electrolytes to get us through the workday, but they sure do take up a lot of space. One way to cut down on beverage containers is by investing in a smart water dispenser. You can mix unique combos of flavors and enhancements, save around 30,000 bottles and cans every year, and eliminate the hassle of restocking the office fridge.
We can’t talk about spring cleaning without actually cleaning. In our Clean and Green Return-to-Office Checklist we list resources like eco-friendly cleaning supplies, ventilation tips, and more. As you get down to dusting, sweeping, and scrubbing, consider using natural fiber sponges and castille soap as they’re better for the environment than standard cleaning supplies.
As you head back to the office this spring, do yourself a favor and wipe it down and spruce it up. Get organized, clean, and sanitize regularly, and commit to making your workspace a pleasant place to be. You’ll be happier each day you sit down to work, and more productive, too!
Even without the shadow of the “Great Resignation” looming over most industries, it’s never a bad idea to be thinking about what makes employees happy and how your organization can emulate the companies that are known for positive environments. Is it just fun activities and delicious snacks or is there more to it?
From taking a look at Comparably’s recent release of their annual happiest employees list, it’s clear that delicious snacks don’t hurt, but it’s also a combination of work-life balance, meaningful perks, and clear company goals that fuels many employees’ happiness.
Of their methodology, Comparably CEO Jason Nazar said, “Comparably looks at a combination of metrics that contribute to happiness at work, from fair pay, benefits and clear goals to excitement for the company and the work itself. Despite the challenges of the past year-and-a-half, the top-rated companies on the list succeed at meeting the needs of their workers across these important factors.”
Ready to bring more joy to your workplace? Here are ten companies to learn a thing or two from when it comes to employee satisfaction.
HubSpot is a CRM platform based in Cambridge, MA. They offer benefits like unlimited PTO, maternity/paternity leave, and tuition reimbursement. One employee said, “Unlimited time off here is not a hiring gimmick. People take the time they need to recharge and leadership trusts the employees to do that.” Not only did Hubspot make the list for happiest employees, but they also top the list for large companies with the best work-life balance.
Adobe is “the global leader in digital media and digital marketing solutions.” They offer benefits like legal assistance, performance bonuses, and working from home. One employee said, “[There’s an] amazing vision for the company…I have confidence every day I step into work.” Having a well-defined roadmap and employees who know their role in reaching company goals contributes significantly to happiness at Adobe.
Microsoft is another legacy software company that made the list. In addition to the usual perks like bonuses and paid time off, they also separate themselves with the innovative work that their employees are asked to take part in. One employee said, “I love getting to solve technically complex issues for our customers and helping to make the world turn everyday.” At Microsoft, taking pride in challenging work that leads to real-world results is a difference-maker.
Chegg is a hub for digital student services like textbook rentals and online tutoring. They take time off seriously with unlimited paid time off as well as summer Fridays and extra days around major holidays. One employee said, “They just gave us the whole Thanksgiving week off. I feel pampered.” With that philosophy, it’s no wonder they were also near the top of the list of companies with the best work-life balance.
ZipReruiter is an employee marketplace that you might have used when you applied for the job you have now. Employees cite the culture as a major reason for their satisfaction working there. According to one employee surveyed by Comparably, “There is so much cross-promotion across teams. We all have to collaborate with one another and there is no fight for recognition or credit. It’s truly all collaborative teamwork.” Everyone likes being on a team, especially one where recognition is freely shared and reinforced.
It’s no surprise that a company with as many resources as Google might inspire some ideas for keeping employees happy. Their differentiator seems to be the flexibility and trust they allow their employees. According to one employee, “If you don’t want to work from your desk, work from a couch, a stool, a coffee bar, a cafe booth, outside, wherever makes [you] comfortable. The enablement is unparalleled.”
Medallia is a customer service and employee software company. Along with typical benefits like vision insurance and tuition reimbursement, they also know how to keep their employees motivated through coaching and teamwork. One employee noted, “I never feel like I will not succeed. Success is constantly set up for me.”
Elsevier, a publisher in New York, shows that who you work with is often as important as what you’re working on. One employee said, “All people are open-minded and looking forward to [finding] the best solutions, without losing the focus on work-life balance.” When everyone is on the same page, it’s a pleasure to go to work.
Peloton is a health and fitness company known for its in-home exercise bike. Their differentiator for many happy employees is the effect their products have on the lives of their customers. One employee said, “I’ve always wanted to work at Peloton and I am excited to market a product I so wholeheartedly believe in.” Seeing a product you’ve worked on measurably change lives is a great feeling.
Insurance companies don’t make as many headlines as the sexier darlings of Silicon Valley, but Farmer’s is doing just fine in its employees’ eyes. Like Google, the trust allowed each employee is a big reason for this. One employee said, “I am very happy with the autonomy I am given as well as the new challenges each day.”
In analyzing the many great companies on Comparably’s 2021 list of happiest employees, there were some clear trends that you can use as inspiration for your own workplace.
First of all, every company on this list takes time off seriously. In a world where burnout is a common factor in job dissatisfaction, showing your employees that you respect their right to a healthy work-life balance will lessen their stress and lighten their load.
Many of the employees surveyed also noted that they were happy when they could see tangible results from their work. Whether that’s the health effects of a Peloton bike or a software that helps a company like Peloton get their products in more people’s hands, being able to draw a line between work and real results is important.
Also, setting your employees up for success is a winning technique for long-term satisfaction. When they can see that you’re working just as hard to create the right conditions for them to flourish as they are, they’ll be able to look confidently toward their future at the company.
Lastly, we couldn’t help but notice that 70% of the companies mentioned in this article have Bevi machines! Dare we say smart water coolers and flavored and sparkling water are a big contributing factor to employee happiness and satisfaction?
What are your thoughts on what makes the happiest employees? We’d love to hear from you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn!
Throughout our existence, one of the areas we’ve really focused on is sustainability. Just this year we’ve talked about sustainable gift wrapping, National Recycling Day, sustainable employee gifts, tips for better recycling at work, sustainable offices we’re crushing on, how to stay green and clean when you return to the office and more.
Making our own office greener as well as providing resources for our readers to evaluate the sustainability of their daily lives has been a huge priority. If you’re still wondering where to start and looking for a challenge next year, let’s talk about a few small changes that can add up to a larger ecological impact over the course of a year.
There’s no better time to look back at where you succeeded and where you’d like to focus on in the future than the end of a year. We’re just about there and our last wish for you is to make some sustainable resolutions for 2022!
Make 2022 the year you finally learn which recyclable numbers are accepted at your local recycling center. A good rule of thumb is that the higher the number on the plastic, the less recyclable it is. For example, soda bottles and detergent containers usually have a 1 or a 2 on them and can be recycled without much thought. Other numbers, though less widely accepted, vary by region so check in with your local recycling authority to make sure you’re not filling up the flow with garbage.
Between disposable batteries and phantom or vampire energy, your electronics are leaving a lot of sustainability on the table. Invest in reusable batteries for your gadgets, and when you’re not at home or the office, unplug computers and other devices that can use energy just by being plugged in.
Did you know that many cleaning supplies for sale at your corner store contain substances linked to health problems including asthma and cancer? These solutions are bad for you and the environment.
Ditch the toxic supplies and invest in products that use organic ingredients and refillable bottles. One of our favorite eco-friendly cleaning brands is Blueland because all of their packaging is recyclable, compostable, or both.
The US Department of Agriculture estimates food waste at between 30-40% of the food supply. This wasted food then ends up in a landfill where it contributes to greenhouse gas production. If you’ve ever felt a little guilty cleaning out the fridge and sending uneaten greens and overripe fruit into the garbage, composting is a great way to make your eating habits more sustainable. The best part is that setting up an effective system for composting at home is a lot quicker and easier than you think, and there are likely weekly dropoff sites near your home if you’re in a city without a lot of green (let alone counter) space.
Even cutting meat out of your diet one day a week can really add up over the course of a year. This doesn’t mean you have to go full vegetarian! Think pizza, pasta, and salad, and turn “Meatless Monday” into a celebration!
As we look to return to the office next year, now’s a good time to reevaluate the most sustainable commute. If you were driving your own gas guzzler, look into a carpool, public transportation or even biking during months with temperate weather.
This applies to grocery shopping as well as other retail stores. Whenever you keep things local, you cut out extra packaging and transportation, saving material and energy. This is especially true when you visit local farmer’s markets, buy in-season produce, and bring reusable bags.
Bevi users have saved over 200 million bottles through the combination of reusable bottles and filtered water dispensers. The next time you go out the door and check your bag for keys, wallet, and a phone, add a reusable water bottle to the mix.
Just say no to fast fashion. These factories are a huge drain on the environment and the clothes are headed to the landfill much sooner than more intentionally made garments. Challenge yourself to find your next outfit at a vintage clothing store, and if a favorite sweater or t-shirt rips, grab a sewing kit and hop on YouTube to teach yourself how to sew it up!
Once you’re used to the routine of reusing your water bottle, see how far you can stretch your reusable habits! Carry an extra reusable bag, opt out of products packaged in plastic like soap and shampoo in favor of bar and tablet formats, and be mindful of how everyday situations might be made more sustainable.
Every decision made with sustainability in mind really adds up to protecting our future, and we’ll be right there with you next year doing our best to care for each other and the environment. Have any sustainable resolutions of your own to add to the list? We’d love to hear from you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn!
Do you remember what you were doing on this day eighteen months ago? Neither do we, but it’s a safe bet that you were doing it in an office.
Eighteen months is a long time and probably the longest stretch you haven’t been to an office since you started working. At first, we thought it might be a few months. Then, we thought it might last until the end of the year. And now, we’re planning to get back to the office in early 2022.
All throughout that uncertainty, as office reopening dates were continually pushed back and reset, we’d hurry up to get mentally ready for the office, only to be told it wasn’t quite time, and those false starts have taken a toll. We’ve gotten used to the remote life, and it’s going to take some getting used to going to the office again.
So now as we prepare once again for a return in the new year, it’s important to help everyone ease back into the routine that we’ve missed for so long. Here are some tips and advice to facilitate a smooth return to office life.
As details emerge about your return to work master plan, stop to check in with team members to see how this might individually affect them and their role. Make room for some of these needs while also balancing the wellness of the greater organization. Some of the best laid plans might not work for everyone right off the bat and that’s okay. See what works for teams and individuals, and if the finished product remains at a high level, embrace the hybridity that arises out of the resiliency of your organization.
After you communicate your team’s date to return to the office, it’s only natural that some will have questions about not only the definiteness of the return (after all, how many times has it been pushed back just this year?) but the nuts and bolts of when and how and how often to report to the physical office.
It’s in your best interest to be transparent about what you do know and what’s still up in the air. After eighteen months of uncertainty, it’s time to build trust, and clear communication about what’s going to happen as well as what still needs to be figured out will go a long way towards getting 100% buy-in from your team.
If possible, solicit feedback from as many people as possible on the return process so that you’re able to include a variety of viewpoints in the plan.
We’ve all come to find out that there are certain things that can’t be replicated outside the office: casual chats by the water cooler, team bonding activities, Zoom [insert something fun that doesn’t quite translate to video]. And that’s not even taking into account the strictly work-related activities that are harder to accomplish from a remote standpoint. Collaborating in the same room won’t soon be taken for granted again.
That being said, it’s important to also allow space for the routines and activities that will be lost as we transition back to in-person work. Just as there was an adjustment period to working from home, so too will there be an adjustment period to working in the office again.
For example, if employees got used to taking a walk at a certain time of day, do your best to accommodate that in the office. Or maybe they really enjoyed the ritual of spending a little more time making lunch. Consider adding some kitchen space or equipment so the office can support those activities.
If your team culture was lacking at the time we stepped away from in-person work, don’t make the same mistake during this chance for a reset. There are likely employees who onboarded remotely who will be coming to the office for the first time. There are also some longtime employees who have been away from the office for so long that it will be like the first time in some ways when they get back to their desk.
Take this opportunity to send everyone through a cultural onboarding to get on the same page at the office. Pair up some long-tenured employees with the new hires for a snack break in the first week, and really lean into the reset at all levels of your organization to get everyone moving forward from the same starting point. You may not have another opportunity like this again.
Make sure you’re prepared for the return and the questions it will bring, and be open to incorporating feedback on the fly as everyone gets settled and shares their experience. Be receptive to suggestions and questions and admit when there are still details to be ironed out. Where possible, focus on the gains to be had from returning to the office. This doesn’t mean there won’t be some things employees miss about the fully remote life, but there’s a lot to like about bonding with your team in the office again.
How are you thinking about creating the conditions for a smooth return to the office? We’d love to hear your thoughts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn!
It’s no secret that employees have been leaving their jobs at an alarming rate. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 4 million Americans quit their jobs in July 2021 alone and resignations have been higher than normal since as far back as April 2021. A recent survey by Joblist shows no signs of this trend abating. In fact, it reports “close to three-quarters of workers are actively thinking about quitting their job.”
This exodus from the workforce is being referred to as “The Great Resignation” and though it’s affecting all industries, Harvard Business Review drilled down on some of the data to see who and what is driving the movement. They found that “resignation rates are highest among mid-career employees in the tech and healthcare spaces.” Even if this isn’t your industry or demographic, no one is immune to the underlying issues driving this trend.
Adam Klotz, an organizational psychologist credited with coining the term, gave some insight to Insider on how the past year has influenced employees’ mindsets. “From organizational research, we know that when human beings come into contact with death and illness in their lives, it causes them to take a step back and ask existential questions,” Klotz said. “Like, what gives me purpose and happiness in life, and does that match up with how I’m spending my right now? So, in many cases, those reflections will lead to life pivots.”
Though it seems like only continued turmoil in the foreseeable future, Klotz also sees some hope for healthy changes for both employers and employees. He predicts that one silver lining “would be if the world of work transitioned to a more healthy, sustainable place for employee wellbeing.” To that end, Jack Altman, CEO and co-founder of people management platform Lattice, recommends retaining talent by celebrating wins and showing employees you care about them by rewarding their work.
What better way to combine the two than with thoughtful perks that keep your team members engaged and healthy? Here are 5 ideas for perks that can help prioritize your employees’ wellbeing and keep your team intact.
For the third year in a row, paid time off topped HRExecutive’s perks poll. While remote work has come to many of the workplaces most affected by the Great Resignation, sometimes that flexibility isn’t enough. When employees are on the verge of leaving, extra time off can help them reevaluate their relationship with work and give them the time and space they need to return with a fresh mindset. Though not for every industry, it might even be worth exploring a 4-day workweek which has proven an “overwhelming success” in Iceland according to the BBC.
Indoor gyms may still be too close for comfort, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find alternative ways to encourage physical fitness. Before the winter months arrive, sponsor some group yoga or workout classes outdoors. If your team is distributed, offer a stipend for employees to find workout opportunities that suit them best in their area.
For those of you returning to the office, bring some excitement and healthy beverages back to the water cooler with flavored seltzer options like blackberry lime and strawberry lemongrass. Nothing compares to conscientious hydration when it comes to improving mental clarity and battling fatigue.
If employees are feeling a little stifled in their current role, by all means explore their career roadmap, but it also might be worth encouraging them to look outside work for other kinds of fulfillment. Google is known for offering up to $12,000 in tuition reimbursement each year. How can you help your team pursue their development outside of work?
We’re all a little rusty when it comes to socializing. Zoom friends just aren’t quite the same as in-person friends. Encourage cross-functional collaborations just for the fun of it to build deeper relationships between employees and foster a sense of camaraderie that makes employees want to come into work each day. Timberland is known for encouraging service sabbaticals equaling 40 hours of paid volunteer work per year. At Bevi, we’ve organized team hikes, axe-throwing competitions, barbecues, and more!
There’s no getting around it: money talks. We’re not suggesting you set up one of those booths where employees have 30 seconds to grab as much flying cash as they can (though your social media manager may now be thinking about how many views that would rack up on tik tok), but we are suggesting that hard work and persistence through a tough year and half deserve recognition and compensation. Much like the stipends and bonuses given early in the transition to working from home, consider recognizing the team that’s made it through the ups and downs together with a monetary thank you.
What are your thoughts on the Great Resignation? Have you been able to proactively stem the tide at your company? We’d love to add your tips to the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn!
With every day that passes, we get a little more excited about rejoining our coworkers in the office (and yes, we’re thinking about the office dogs, too). After a tough year away, getting back to business as usual is going to be an adjustment. It might feel like the first day of school after a longer than usual summer where we do our best to navigate our reconfigured workspaces, make some new friends, and figure out where to sit in the lunchroom.
To disperse some of the pre-return jitters, we’ve been thinking about the best way to ease the transition and get our whole team excited about returning to the office. During one of these brainstorming sessions, our wonderful office manager had the idea to welcome everyone back with a sustainable gift.
Snacks, office equipment, team-building experiences and more are all in the running at our office, and as we whittle down our list, we thought we’d share some ideas of eco-friendly return to office gifts in case it’s helpful inspiration for your office manager or HR team.
What’s better than a gift that actually helps everyone get to the office on day one? A bag made from recyclable materials that carries laptops, healthy snacks, and more will come in handy for the whole team.
Mafia’s bags, for example, are upcycled from kitesurf, windsurf, and boat sails, keeping these materials out of the landfill and giving you a sustainable bag with a story.
As a reader of this blog, you already know how important hydration is for you and your colleagues. If you’re already saving plastic at the office with a bottleless water dispenser, why not go the extra mile and save a cup, too?
Brands like S’well and custom specialists like Swag.com offer custom branding and group discounts. Keep in mind that most suppliers have a minimum order of 48 so smaller companies will likely have a few leftover for future hires.
We’ve talked a lot about using the return to the office as a natural time to reset healthy goals. Though not every team will be doing yoga together, there are millions of yogis out there so there’s a good chance this gift option will resonate with more than a few of your employees.
Yoga mats like this handmade, biodegradable hemp option have a minimal carbon footprint and provide a great team-building opportunity.
Studies show that green settings positively affect both mood and self-esteem so why not bring the garden right to your desk?
Crate Joy’s Succulents Box will send one plant per month for as low as $10. Before you know it, your office will be rivaling the closest public garden.
With their campaign to #eatthepeel, Rind’s dried whole fruit snacks promise more vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants than sugary competitors. Even better, by keeping the skin on their fruit, they diverted over 120,000 pounds of edible food waste in 2020.
Check out this list of other sustainable snack options that you could add to a personalized snack box for your employees.
Sustainable return to office gifts don’t have to be exclusively for use in and around the office. If your team has been trying to take their eco-friendly habits home with them, lend a hand by subsidizing a compost kit.
Package Free offers a small starter compost bin that’s great for apartments and they’re also known for their zero waste kits if you’re looking for another option to add on.
If you can’t get outside for an extended period of time, make sure to at least take a break from your screen and look Airbnb has virtual experiences like dance classes, magic shows, and trivia that would have a low carbon footprint for your team, but even better on the sustainable front might be a Loola Eco Edventure.
This impact “travel” lets you choose a UN goal and community to support from the comfort of your own home or office. For example, you could give a family a life-saving sanitation system that doubles up as a crop garden and join by video to see it implemented.
There’s nothing wrong with choosing one of the awesome gifts on this list, but if Marie Kondo (not to mention the experience of spending many days in a small apartment) has taught us anything, it’s that sometimes the most sustainable option isn’t physical.
For those still in a decluttering mode, offer one intangible option like a donation to a local farming non-profit or educational program that promotes sustainability. Paying it forward always pays off.
As you evaluate the best eco-friendly corporate gifts for your team, make sure the materials used to make them are renewable or have a low impact on the environment. It’s also a good idea to offer a selection of similarly-priced gifts so that each employee can find the gift that resonates the most with them.
What are you considering for sustainable/eco-friendly employee gifts? We’d love to hear your ideas on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn!