Fancy spaces will just hollow attempts at bringing back employees if deeper organisational changes are ignored

Relaxing couches and beanbags, well-stocked pantries and vibrant multipurpose spaces are now slowly becoming the new normal at workplaces. These recent changes are welcomed by employees. For employers, creating such fancy office spaces is a strategy to pull employees into coming back to the office after the pandemic. This phenomenon has been termed as “office peacocking”.

Recent data from Forbes suggests that at least 59.1% of employees have returned to offices after the pandemic (Haan, 2023). However, that does not signal the end of the remote work culture – 98% of employees still prefer hybrid working models over the traditional ways of working. This significant number is a reflection of the affinity that employees hold towards flexibility, autonomy and work-life balance (Haan, 2023). Despite these numbers, there remains an urgency in several employers to go back to the pre-pandemic forms of working, which is evident in the sudden beautification spree that office spaces are hopping on to.

Luring Employees

Similar to how a peacock uses its bright feathers to attract mates, organisations have begun to deck up their office spaces with trendy furniture, recreational amenities and stylish interiors in an attempt to appeal to employees who have become accustomed to working from the comfort of their homes in this era of remote work (Lohia, 2024).

A report by Owl Labs revealed that at least 66% of employees claimed to be in the office full-time while only 22% of them wanted to be there. Employers are thus concerned with improving the in-person working experience for their employees and largely changing their negative perception about working from offices.

The pandemic has made remote working a convenient and efficient upgrade to the traditional working environment for employees. It has made flexibility and remote working convenience some of the most important factors for employees to consider about their jobs. As per the report by Owl Labs, at least 90% of hybrid workers reported a significant improvement in their overall productivity ever since adopting the hybrid model. However, businesses that have been unable to meet the needs of managing a flexible workforce are now eager to return to in-office work. Such companies are thus resorting to tactics of office peacocking (Robinson, 2024).

Creating a culture that is rooted in practices of mutual respect, diversity and inclusion can attract and sustain a much wider and talented workforce

It’s been four years since employees across the globe have adopted work-from-home as a common practice in their professional lives. There is a sense of reluctance that is attached to letting this comfortable work setup go in the post-pandemic era. This reluctance, combined with the employers’ determination to go back to the pre-pandemic ways of working is what is fuelling the fire of office peacocking today (Firstpost, 2024).

The origins of this phenomenon can be traced back to another interesting workplace phenomenon – ‘Coffee Badging’. This refers to a relatively common practice amongst employees to pop into the office for a few hours, make their presence felt by chatting with a few co-workers over coffee and then return home. However, the comfort of one’s home remains far greater for employees to continue making a quick coffee run to the office, making employers feel the need to offer extravagant office infrastructure which surpasses the comfort of one’s couch at home, eventually enticing them back in through the office doors.

Ergonomic Impact

Several studies show that the ergonomic setup of a workplace has an impact on productivity. A positive workplace setup can positively influence the productivity of employees (Resnick & Zanotti, 1997). Positive ergonomic innovations which seek to improve comfort and subsequently well-being of employees are known to increase productivity (Vink et al, 2006).

The Attention Capital Theory, which proposes cognitive capabilities as a resource which can be leveraged against financial investments and returns, is a strong proponent of the office peacocking culture (The United Nations, 2023). Herbert A Simon’s popular study on attention economics underlines attention as a distinct contributing factor to economic gains, which has a resultant impact on employee wellbeing (The United Nations, 2023). Simply put, investment in improving workspaces can positively influence the cognitive abilities of employees, which ultimately yields greater economic gains for the organisation.

However, it is worth pondering if swanky offices, good coffee and ‘No Formals Fridays’ are enough to retain employees in 2024.

Beyond Ergonomics

Directing efforts towards aesthetics as a means of retaining employees and bringing them back to offices can drastically backfire if organisations do not address the deep-rooted issues that may lie in the company culture and the work environment. There has been a significant change in workplace behaviours since the pandemic. Combined with the transformed workplace attitude surrounding work-life balance, flexibility and the staycation culture that Gen Z brings with it as it trickles into the workforce, organisations need to catch up with these rapid evolutions.

It is crucial to accept that the hybrid working model is here to stay. The flexibility and autonomy that it brings for employees have become some of the most important factors to consider about a job today. Employees now value transparency, due credit and employee engagement far beyond an aesthetic office, which may just remain a hygiene factor in the near future (Crail, 2024). Organisations should proactively make employees feel acknowledged by inculcating these values.

Glassdoor’s study revealed that at least two-thirds of the employees who chose to remain at their current companies cited a healthy workplace culture as one of the top reasons (Crail, 2024). Creating a culture that is rooted in practices of mutual respect, diversity and inclusion can attract and sustain a much wider and talented workforce.

Lastly, providing opportunities for well-being and professional development is an investment that is bound to not only make employees happy but also build a strong, upskilled workforce that is less likely to leave the organisation (Crail, 2024).

Office peacocking, though a positive move towards improving the overall working experience for employees, may be employers’ way of hiding behind fancy couches and pantries while avoiding the deeper organisational changes that are in fact the need of the hour. Without addressing these, fancy office spaces are just hollow attempts at bringing back employees, the effects of which cannot be expected to last. Employees thus need to consider what these new fancy offices mean for them—a comfortable, productive workplace or a feeble attempt at being called back to offices which are culturally still set in the last decade.