At 8:45 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, the newly renovated lobby at Manulife Financial Corp.’s head office in Toronto is bustling with employees ordering freshly brewed espresso shots and frothy vanilla lattes from the company’s in-house barista. Groups of colleagues are gathered around informal meeting areas with sleek modern couches and lush green plants covering the walls.
Now, every Tuesday and Wednesday, Mr. Gori sees about 91 per cent of his Toronto staff who worked in-office pre-pandemic have returned. The company’s U.S. headquarters in Boston, Mass., which has a similar requirement, is operating at about 90 per cent, while the Asian operations have already hit its pre-pandemic level of 95 per cent in-office attendance.
Earlier this month, RBC chief executive Dave McKay became the first major bank leader to mandate a stricter policy, calling on his employees to return to the office three to four days a week starting May 1. During an analyst call, Mr. McKay blamed the lack of office attendance for a drop in productivity and innovation at his company.
“People wanted variety,” Mr. Gori says. “We used to have terrible junk food and we are a company that promotes wellness and healthy living so we needed to change our menu.” “This is about connections,” Ms. Haslam adds. “I love free food, but it isn’t actually about the food. It’s about a group of people taking a quick break, chatting with each other and building psychological safety at work. That requires trust, and trust comes in the workplace when you have that human connection.”
To help ease the shift back into the office, the Toronto-based company provides a “light breakfast” and catered lunch three times a week for about 40 of its Canadian based employees. . “I would love to see who figures out how to build a culture across a fully remote team that is as powerful as the one we have now,” Ms. LaForge said.
“We wanted to create spaces where people would meet up and collaborate rather than spend their time coming in but remain at their desks all day,” says Diana Godfrey, senior vice-president of human resources and corporate affairs at Fidelity Canada. “It’s a different way of engaging people than we have done in the past.”
Companies need to justify the time and expense needed to commute. Free coffee isn’t going to cut it. Unless the job MUST be in person, the loss of 40-120 *unpaid* minutes each day commuting is better spent, well, working. Or with family/friends. Or chores.
Lol no
No commute is the biggie! Most in GTA spend at least 3 hrs to/from work.
What about employee POV? How do they actually feel about these efforts? Are free lattes really luring them back into the office?
Nothing employers hate more than actually competing for workers. Go look at Steve Jobs non competes with other companies.
In other words..the minions are running the show, Maybe it’s time for a showdown.
Why would companies do this instead of trying to make it safe for their workers to return?
I just want to keep my job Austerity I don't care where they want me working Neoliberalism
“You mean instead of feigned feel-good activities, you prefer higher wages and sound mental health”
Hard pass. I’ll make my coffee at home.
Galen Weston got $1.3m, I'm guessing he has his own private barista. Or maybe it's just the $?
Everything except liveable wages👍
Better they offer them taxi vouchers to avoid the TTC.
So $16/hr baristas are happy to help get the $40/hr employees back in the office?
Well that's dumb, I'm not taking my mask off to eat and drink so how would that lure me? How about some UV and air filtration? That could lure me...
Bigger pay cheques, benefits and pensions may be better than an espresso with biscotti.
Wages are low, ongoing pandemic. If any job tells you “we’re like a family” RUN they will exploit you
I do not understand why people are still working from home? I have not missed a day from work ever from day one since Covid hit. I am a blue collar worker who was deemed a essential service. I guess god did not create people to be equal.
let me work from home im way more productive
Trust me , this will not work. Not for me.
pay them more?
Wouldn’t be cheaper to let employees work remotely and companies save on lease. Free food and barista salary