See you at the office?

The world has changed, and work habits have changed with it. According to Tuomo Alasoini, research professor at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, remote work is not merely a consequence of the necessity imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic—now retained as a tool by companies—but a genuine alternative that is enabled by technological development and whose time has now come.

“The new freedom in work life requires employees to be self-directed and responsible for their actions. It is essential that changing practices are discussed in the workplace.”

Alasoini says that forcing a change upon employees is unlikely to increase the popularity of returning to the office.

“There are ways to increase the appeal of working on-site, such as investing in the functionality and comfort of the premises. Different models may suit different companies and organisations. No one-size-fits-all solution exists. It is a good idea to discuss working practices with employees and try to reach a consensus,” Alasoini says.

Reducing people’s autonomy by imposing a unilateral order on them will not yield the best outcome, especially if employees have been allowed to choose for themselves when to work at home and when to come to the office for several years. Specialist work, in particular, is rarely tied to a specific place, and flexibility feels like a benefit that employees have earned.

Alasoini points out that the spread of hybrid work affects not only the company and the individual, but also society as a whole, as the way people travel and use premises and services during the working day changes.

However, international surveys have shown that senior managers would like more work to be done in offices again. Finnish executives seem more tolerant of remote work than their international counterparts.

“Today, many job applicants inquire about an organisation’s remote work policy during recruitment; it has become a key factor in choosing an employer and can play a major role when companies compete for talent.”

Hybrid models are becoming widespread

In addition to fully remote work, companies in Finland are increasingly adopting policies that allow a certain number of remote-working days and a certain number that must be spent in the office. They are using a mix of incentives and requirements to encourage employees back into the office for at least part of the week.

A model that combines working from home with the office is known as hybrid or multi-location work. It typically allows for one to three days of remote work per week.

Tuomo Alasoini believes that limiting employees’ opportunities to choose how they work always requires good justification. Prohibiting remote work altogether is mainly effective when the employer has strong grounds for it, such as security or data protection concerns. 

It is also important that employees feel they gain added value from their on-site days.

“Imposing restrictions unilaterally can easily be perceived as a lack of trust and thus may even reduce job satisfaction and occupational well-being. If employees have already structured their lives around this flexibility, changing the policy can make it more difficult for employees to balance work and personal life.” 

Flexibility at different stages of life

Working from home has the benefit of eliminating the commute and enabling people to focus better on their tasks, provided they have a suitable place to work at home. Surveys reveal that one important motivation for working remotely is a more peaceful environment than the increasingly common activity-based offices can offer. 

However, people who work entirely from home have no face-to-face encounters, so they miss out on helping and supporting others and receiving positive feedback from colleagues and supervisors. Many remote workers also feel lonely. 

Work and leisure time can easily blur together, leading employees to work longer hours and skip breaks as their commitment to work and their endeavour to always be available take precedence.

According to a study by the insurance company If, remote workers experience stress due to the demands of their jobs twice as often as other people. 

At different stages of life, even during the busy family years, the flexibility offered by remote work is vital for a smooth day-to-day life. People come to the office mostly for project and group work or to contribute to brainstorming sessions. 

“Working in shared spaces alongside others is beneficial because spontaneous encounters while working have been shown to improve innovation and collaboration skills.” 

The results speak for themselves

When people switched to remote work after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many organisations had no time to prepare for it, although the technology was available to allow society to take the digital leap.

Due to the diversity of the teams, practices vary depending on what feels like the best solution in each case. Some teams have decided on a common office day each week, while others hold regular remote meetings. In practice, the COVID-19 pandemic was the only time in the company’s history when the employer restricted the way the personnel worked: to minimise the risk of infection, only a limited number of people were allowed in the office. 

Efforts have been made to encourage office attendance by investing in the premises and creating opportunities for various types of encounters, while still supporting tasks that require concentration.

 “We also offer a weekly breakfast at the office, or we celebrate a specific day when people can come to meet their colleagues. These are little things, but they help bring people together and foster the team spirit,” Calonius says.

Remote management requires ground rules

When people work online, indirect messages may not always get through. As a result, communication can suffer. Therefore, new ways of working require new methods of management and work organisation. For companies using remote and hybrid work models, investing in communication practices and interpersonal encounters is essential.

“Hybrid work compels us to develop ways of using technology, as well as management practices and operating methods. A good starting point is to create common ground rules on what can be handled remotely and when a face-to-face interaction is necessary,” Alasoini says.

Minna Hurmalainen, HR Director at Telia Finland Oy, a media and technology company, agrees with Alasoini. 

“Leading a team remotely is different from managing people within speaking distance. When people are in close proximity, communication often occurs spontaneously. In everyday encounters — at the coffee machine, at lunch, or in the corridor — it's easy to give casual feedback or quickly address an issue. Therefore, it is important to pay special attention to the amount and type of interaction and communication when people work remotely. Encounters must be created more deliberately,” Hurmalainen notes. 

Telia uses a hybrid work model and instructs its personnel to come to the office at least once a week.

However, the guidance does not state how many days per week or on which specific days each employee should come to the office. The day does not need to be the same every week. Telia also agrees on these matters in teams. Everyone has the opportunity to adapt their working methods to their activities.

Telia supports supervisors who manage hybrid workers by producing various materials and tools designed to foster team communication. According to Hurmalainen, employee surveys indicate that the company’s hybrid management approach has been successful.

“We endeavour to incorporate the opportunities for flexibility and the other benefits of remote work into our hybrid model along with the sense of community offered by on-site work,” Hurmalainen summarises.

Hybrid work requires self-discipline

Remote work practices, ground rules, and appropriate technical solutions are constantly evolving. One thing is clear: the new ways of working are here to stay.

For remote and hybrid work to be viable options, employees must possess strong self-management skills. 

“First and foremost, employees need self-discipline to ensure that they can work efficiently. They also need the ability to choose which tasks are better suited to remote work and which should be done in the office. Employees risk becoming overloaded if they lack self-management skills. It is very important to address this in the work community,” says Alasoini.

This article draws on the guide “Hybrid work model as a success factor”, published by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. The guide is available on the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health’s online service. The guide is based on a research project conducted by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and the Finnish Work Environment Fund under the title “Why come to the office?”.