New incentives could boost satisfaction with in-person work, but few employers are making changes

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Category: Business

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. fathom / ˈfæð əm / (v.) – to understand someone or something
    Example:

    I couldn’t fathom why she was so upset about such a small mistake.


  2. status quo / ˈstæt əs kwoʊ / (n.) – the current situation
    Example:

    Some people are comfortable with the status quo, while others seek change for improvement.


  3. prioritization / prɑɪˌɔr ə t̬ɪ ˈzeɪ ʃən / (n.) – the act of arranging things, such as tasks, goals, or items, according to its importance
    Example:

    Prioritization helps in managing stress by focusing on the most important tasks first.


  4. respondent / rɪˈspɒn dənt / (n.) – someone who gives an answer or response to a question, survey, or offer
    Example:

    I need 100 respondents to answer a questionnaire for my research.


  5. compensation / ˌkɒm pənˈseɪ ʃən / (n.) – money and other benefits given to a person for doing his/her job
    Example:

    People nowadays look for high compensation and flexible work schedules when they apply for jobs.


Article

Read the text below.

Workers have begun to return to the office in waves, at least for part of the week, and navigating that transition is an ongoing and significant hurdle for employers and workers alike. And many simply cannot fathom a return to the pre-COVID status quo, changing how companies approach their staffing needs.


Retaining employees who don’t want to work in person is an issue for companies, but relatively few employers (13%) have introduced new incentives that would make employees more satisfied with it, according to a newly released poll conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.


“Once workers discovered that (remote work could be) less expensive and… make their life a little easier, they just wanted to keep doing it, even once the pandemic began fading away,” Marjorie Connelly, a senior fellow with NORC’s Public Affairs & Media Research department, told The Associated Press.


In both the HR survey and a separate poll of U.S. adults, researchers found that the top factors behind employees’ desire to work from home include their prioritization of flexibility and work-life balance. Other HR representatives and employees who work from home cite the length and costs of commuting as key.


There are some initiatives that could incentivize more employees to work in person—or at least increase their satisfaction about already going into the office—the poll shows. Most hybrid workers (55%) say paying employees more for their in-office work would provide “a lot” of encouragement for them to work in person more often.


Additional pay topped the list across respondents whether they were working in-person, remotely (44%), or in hybrid (50%) roles. However, just 4% of HR representatives whose companies have introduced new policies to get employees back to the workplace say that higher compensation is among them.


Employees who are already going into the office—either entirely or part-time—indicated that other incentives such as commuter benefits, in-office childcare, free food, and social gatherings could also add at least “some” more satisfaction with returning to the office.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • The article said that incentivizing in-person work would make more employees satisfied with it. Do you agree that companies should incentivize in-person work? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Only relatively few employers have introduced incentives to their employees. Why do you think this is so (ex. budget constraints, absence of complaints from employees)? Do you think many companies would give incentives for in-person work in your country? Why or why not? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • If your company were to incentivize working in the office, what incentives would you like to receive? Why? Just like in the survey, are flexibility and work-life balance your priorities as well? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • The article mentioned that many people cannot fathom how we can come back to the situation before the pandemic. Do you think it is possible to return to the pre-COVID status quo? Why or why not? Discuss.