Most business leaders are planning to get their employees to return to the office. However, their workforce is having second thoughts since experiencing the benefits of working remotely.
While some miss their workstations and their physical office, employee safety, health, and wellbeing must be a top priority as they return.
Many big companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google have pushed back their return-to-work plans for the welfare of their employees. However, if the bigger companies are reluctant to do so, many smaller companies start to think twice.
Let’s weigh every aspect of this plan and how a hybrid work setup sounds more feasible to most organizations today.
If you’re eager to proceed with your return to office plan, here are some things that may help:
Gender Stereotypes
Men and women are equal. However, throughout many cultures, women are seen to be warmer, nurturing, and caring than men. On the other hand, men are seen as decisive, competitive, and career-driven. Hence, most men don’t want to miss out on a promotion, a pay raise, and other in-office benefits.
Moreover, men who do take paternity leave in full can be seen as weak and uncommitted to the company. Most of them are aware of the potential consequences of not being in the office for a long time. It’s the old concept that men should prioritize work over their emotions. One interesting idea about stereotypes is that most women don’t trust men to take care of the baby because they’re not good at it.
It’s a New Thing
When Mike took advantage of the paternity leave benefits, sadly, most of our colleagues didn’t even know that they’re entitled to that kind of stuff.
In Britain, last 2018, 900,000 parents were entitled to the policy, but only 1% used it.
It’s about time that men in the workforce become aware of their rights and will not be judged when they take this paid time off. Then, perhaps, business leaders and managers can set an example that it will not make any difference in your career if you take the leave or not.
The Machismo Tenet
Men love their children more than themselves. However, you will seldom see a dad outsmarting a mom on how to take care of a baby.
In a recent study, two-thirds of fathers admitted to an unspoken rule to masculinity. Men should not take full paternity leave. It reflects mental and emotional toughness. They also admitted that taking a long time off will set their career back compared to their colleagues.
The Aftermath
Two weeks later, when Mike got back to the office. Again, we can see the positive effects on his mood, and he even shared how he felt closer to his newborn baby. As he smiles with all the men over a cup of coffee, he says that the connection he built with his child is more than any promotion. It’s priceless.
Olivia Yu has decades of experience in the Human Resources industry. She’s the Regional Director for Asia Pacific of a famous international HR company. Olivia’s international experience inspires her to write articles about human resources and global staffing.
