What does it take to lure workers back into the office after years of working remotely? One CEO thinks he has the answer.
Seth Besmertnik, CEO of software company Conductor, recently signed a lease for office space in New York City, where coffee and cold beer are free, and where he plans to build a pickle playground. Although his 200 employees value the flexible schedule, the company and its customers benefit from personal collaboration, he told CBS News. These days, that means going the extra mile to get workers back in the office at least three days a week.
“From a company standpoint, this is important because you want your employees — which is generally where you invest your resources and money the most — you want them to help each other and work together,” Bessemertke said. “And while you can be very productive at home doing your job, it’s very hard to help the person sitting next to you and the group you’re in. It’s really hard to collaborate on projects.”
Before the pandemic, for many employees, the workplace provided a sense of community, fostered friendships, provided a place to learn professional skills, and helped people build a network.
But “all of this becomes exponentially difficult if you’re on Zoom at 100% or behind a computer,” Bessemertek said.
However, many Conductor employees have expressed a preference for remote working, or at least the ability to work from home a few days a week. At the same time, they also described the mental exhaustion that can come from staring at a screen all day.
Conductor listened and adapted his policies.
“Our strategy is to have you come to the office three days a week, be home or wherever you want to be, effectively, two days a week,” Bsmertnik said.
“YOLO” month
The conductor also uses other means to help keep employees fresh and engaged. Every year for an entire month that the conductor dubs “YOLO” month, the company’s offices close. This way, workers who want to stay home or travel don’t feel like they’re missing out on in-office activities.
“All of our offices are closed, and you can enjoy a remote experience without having to completely abandon the community of actually going to an office,” said Bsmertnik.
While some companies are shrinking their real estate footprint to cut costs, Besmertnik is expanding with a 10-year lease on a larger office.
“If people are going to come, it has to be a great experience. The reason people come in is because they come for each other. The coffee, and the extras are nice, but they come for each other. They come for the friendships, they come for the community and in the end they do a great job for the clients.” .
If personal work helps his employees feel more involved and connected to the company, he believes the investment is worth it.
“In my view, it might be a good idea to save money on office space. [But] “I think the biggest risk is burnout, engagement and really making sure our people feel energized and excited to do what they do every day,” said Smertnick. “That’s how we do our best work, and that’s really the most profitable thing for us to do.”
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