The COVID-19 crisis has permanently changed the world of work, and not just here at home. Working from home became a key part of daily life to help prevent further infections. Many people have grown accustomed to this situation and are reluctant to give up their new habits. As an employer, it takes a delicate touch to motivate staff to return to the office. We have put together some helpful tips to pave the way back.

What seemed impossible to many companies before the pandemic became reality. A large portion of the workforce moved to home offices, keeping vital business processes alive despite the crisis. Three years later, many companies are considering a shift back toward more in-office work. This presents a unique challenge for managers and HR professionals, as many employees are not eager to give up their newfound freedoms and routines.

1. The benefits of returning to the office

There are numerous advantages for employees—and teams as a whole—to choosing to work together in the office again.

• Social interaction: Social contact is fundamentally important to human beings. Engaging with colleagues offers added value not only for work but for personal life as well. Sharing experiences or planning activities together has a greater impact on well-being than most people realize.
• Shared lunches & breaks: Taking a break with colleagues, going out for a bite to eat, or ordering delicious food to the office also enriches social skills. It is also a great way to make new contacts and get to know other team members.
• Sense of belonging: A sense of belonging can be strengthened in many ways. Work itself creates a bond, while team events and gatherings bring colleagues closer together and foster a strong team spirit.
• Clear boundaries: It is much easier to draw a line between professional and private life in the office, something many people struggle to do while working from home.
• Working from home as a career killer: When working remotely, your work and achievements may be less visible than they are in an office environment, where regular interaction and the presentation of new ideas are the norm. Consequently, working from home could potentially hinder your career progression.

2. Reasons why employees prefer working from home

Whether by choice or necessity, working from home offers many positive aspects. For many employees, these benefits must be weighed against new incentives to return to the office. This presents several challenges that need to be addressed:

• Morning time management: For many, working from home primarily means saving a significant amount of time by eliminating the daily commute by car or public transport. Furthermore, the commute must be factored into morning schedules, which often requires waking up earlier.
• Distractions & Noise: Working in an office means that a completely quiet environment is rarely possible. You have to accept distractions in the form of conversations and other background noise.
• Work-Life Balance: By eliminating the daily commute and allowing for household chores in between tasks, work-life balance is more stable when working from home.
• Autonomy: Most people develop their own rhythm when working from home, which is difficult to replicate in an office setting. Many have established personal rituals that would have to be abandoned.
• Work-Life Integration: Managing family life is much easier when working from home. Caring for children or relatives can be handled with significantly more flexibility.

3. Colleagues are a pro for returning to the office

Objectively speaking, colleagues are both an argument for and against returning to the office, depending on the individual. While some employees value direct interaction and may feel isolated otherwise, others prefer to avoid colleagues due to personal conflicts or a need for more quiet. However, the latter are generally in the minority.

The advantages of returning to the office are obvious. Personal contact and productive exchanges with colleagues have a positive impact on work and results. Working together leads to faster and better solutions because everyone can contribute directly. Many tasks are completed more productively through optimal collaboration, making it easier to get through your to-do list. Instead of waiting forever for feedback, you can quickly get everyone involved around a table. Spontaneous or planned meetings help streamline the daily workflow.

Ultimately, this leads to a healthy team, high employee satisfaction, and contributes to overall well-being.

4. Tips for returning to the office

In addition to providing healthy food options for employees, there are other interesting aspects and reasons to encourage staff to return to the office.

• Regular events: A team breakfast or regular team events encourage office attendance, as employees perceive these as positive initiatives. Combined with a varied catering boosts morale and provides new incentives.
• Modern office furniture & communication tools: Many employees had to set up their own personal workspace while working from home. In the office, you have the opportunity to create a comfortable atmosphere with modern, ergonomic furniture that makes people look forward to working together on-site.
• More flexible collaboration: Hybrid work models allow for new ways of collaborating. An open desk project is one idea to encourage interaction and communication among colleagues.
• Create quiet zones in the office: The peace and quiet of working from home is a common argument, but it can be countered by providing specific zones or rooms as retreats for phone calls or tasks requiring deep focus.
• Adopt routines from home: Some employees may have enjoyed taking a walk in the park or exercising during their breaks. Why not grant your colleagues these same freedoms in the office?
• Health in the office: There are several ways to approach this, as an ergonomic workspace helps prevent long-term physical issues caused by desk work. Healthy food options via a canteen or mobile employee catering are seen as a sign of appreciation. Additionally, providing hand sanitizer or masks during periods of high infection rates helps colleagues feel at ease.
• Planning & scheduling: If there are days you would like your team in the office, communicate these clearly and in advance. When announced ahead of time, they are much easier for everyone to accommodate.
• Perks & benefits: Get creative to convince employees to come into the office. Offers like free bike tune-ups, subsidized lunches, or team cooking sessions help foster a positive perception of office work.
• Hybrid work models: To facilitate the transition or to be consistently perceived as a modern company, hybrid work models are advantageous. Mandatory office attendance, on the other hand, often has a negative effect and could cause lasting damage to company culture.

With these tips, you can certainly encourage a large portion of your employees to work from the office at least most of the time, if that is beneficial for the company. With the right incentives, working in the office will be viewed positively once again.

5. Individual and regular catering as an incentive

To encourage employees to return to the office, catering can be a very deliberate measure. Ensuring healthy employee meals during the workday appeals to many people who struggle to maintain a balanced and varied diet in their daily lives.

Through the wide range of caterers at heycater! companies can tailor their approach very specifically. Providing a daily lunch service with a selection of different dishesseems particularly attractive. This allows not only for different tastes to be accommodated, but also vegan and vegetarian diets as well as food intolerances can be taken into account when specified.

There is a high degree of flexibility here, as specific days of the week or, of course, an entire week can be targeted. As the number of employees grows, the number of dishes and menus can be customized. If necessary, surveys can be conducted in consultation to plan the meals for the coming week. But even short-notice adjustments are essentially no challenge for heycater! and our caterers. As the leading platform for corporate catering, even last-minute orders are easily handled.

6. Back to the office with heykantine!

An excellent reason to look forward to returning to the office is the mobile canteen from heycater! With our tailor-made food-at-work solution, companies have the opportunity to organize employee catering in a flexible, centralized way that meets their specific needs. With heykantine!, heycater! not only facilitates healthy nutrition in the workplace, but also allows for special events and important meetings to be planned according to individual requirements.

Providing regular employee meals in the form of a regular lunch or a mobile canteen is sure to delight many employees, as it eliminates the hassle of cooking and preparing food for the workday.

Several aspects of employee catering are at the heart of this.

• Healthy nutrition: Through the targeted selection of menus, a healthy and balanced diet for employees can be ensured. This saves them the trouble of having to prepare their own meals.
• Consistency: Employee catering can be provided by heycater! on specific days of the week or throughout the entire week.
• Vegan & vegetarian dishes: The desire for vegan or vegetarian diets is no longer an unusual request. Our wide selection of excellent caterers can prepare new and delicious dishes every day.
• Food intolerances: Gluten-free and lactose-free menus can also be accommodated on short notice upon request.
• Variety: The high level of flexibility is certainly an asset for companies. Knowing the number of employees, their preferences, and their wishes, you can contact heycater! at any time for individual coordination.
• Huge selection of dishes: Thanks to our large network of caterers, there are virtually no limits to the variety of dishes we can provide. This allows us to offer employees a wide range of healthy dining options.

A recurring team breakfast or delicious meeting platters and healthy finger food are always a welcome treat. Booking food trucks is another great way to add variety and boost team morale. Perfectly organized Christmas parties, summer parties, or team events foster cohesion and encourage interaction among colleagues.

Whether you need regular employee catering or catering for special occasions, feel free to contact us for a personal consultation about the heycater! food program.

Get a no-obligation consultation for heykantine! today!

7. heycater! as the perfect catering partner for your company

If you are planning regular employee catering or varied event catering, we at heycater! are your perfect partner. We look forward to your inquiry and would be happy to advise you on heykantine!, our mobile canteen for companies.