Return to Office: American AgCredit Case Study
Focuswise has been consulting with several clients to help them strategize return-to-office plans as the pandemic slows down. American AgCredit (an agricultural insurance and loan company) was one of these clients, and afterward, AAC created a case study for their internal magazine from the implementation of the hybrid WorkFlex model, which grew out of our consulting efforts.
During the pandemic, AAC’s employees realized they could accomplish the majority of their work at home. While other financial services companies planned to return their full workforce back to an office setting, AAC consulted Focuswise to come up with a better strategy.
Return to the office or work from home? Hybrid work models provide the best of both worlds.
Why It’s Important to Have a Strategic Plan
So, I met with Rich Hollis, AAC’s Chief People Experience Officer, and several other executives to discuss the challenge of returning to the office from a remote work environment. The company was interested in strategizing a plan that would appeal to its current and future employees and make it a more competitive employer, which meant creating a different and more appealing solution than that offered by other financial institutions. There are key reasons such a plan is necessary:
- With remote work becoming the new normal, as many as 46% of workers are planning to move because they now have the option to work remotely. This is seen by employees as a huge benefit and is a strong advantage when recruiting.
- For stability, workers need clear communication from leadership on how, when, and if their company is returning to the office.
- Going back to work with a pre-pandemic set of expectations, when burnout and turnover were rising rapidly, is not feasible. If worker satisfaction and productivity have been growing during the pandemic, then CEOs should avoid assuming that returning to the office is necessarily their best option. That said, even those jobs that do require a return to the office need different facilities and resources there, and not all of those jobs require 100% of a worker’s time in the office.
American AgCredit developed a flexible work program that permits generous work-from-home time and thus enables the company to attract and retain top talent while giving its existing employees appealing options for how they want to work. The program has received an overwhelmingly positive employee response.
Curious to see the full results of the case study? Download it here.
By the way, if you missed my last post, check out our comprehensive new white paper, Work Isn’t Working: New Solutions for Leadership and Productivity. It is a landmark thought piece to guide leaders in bringing their organizations out of the COVID-19 pandemic.