Are RTO orders the right solution?

CIOs are losing IT talent due to a lack of flexibility in staffing. Three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, some organizations have announced a mandatory, full return to on-site workplaces. This approach has adversely affected retention, performance and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Employers are left vulnerable to talent being actively poached by employers offering more flexibility.

As hybrid working becomes the default, organizations that do not adopt the hybrid model will struggle to attract and retain talent in a hybrid world. Gartner has found 70% of technology workers who have gone fully remote during the pandemic expect to continue working in a hybrid model. CIOs and IT organizations are especially vulnerable to high turnover in this emerging talent market.

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To avoid talent flight risk, IT leaders must adopt a mindset of radical flexibility that adapts to where, when and how work is done by developing new policies and practices to improve employee engagement, company culture and team performance Provides more autonomy to employees.

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The need for a flexible, human-centered workplace

Gartner has found that the majority of employees in a technology function would prefer a blended work arrangement, regardless of whether they currently work remotely. Sixty-nine percent of all IT workers prefer a hybrid work model, and that’s not much different from the 70% of technology workers who went completely remote during the pandemic.

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Site work should be an exception rather than the default in the future of work. IT employees who worked remotely during the pandemic indicated that if given the option, nearly half of them would prefer to work remotely two to four days a week, while only 9% would ever work remotely. would not like to work.

Recognize the impact of return-to-workplace decisions on talent

Organizations that force their IT staff to have an entirely on-site setup face several key risks. The first risk is friction. More than half of technology workers find that they may or may not be able to work flexibly if they stay at an organization. Most employees need flexibility of location when considering a job change. Furthermore, most employees in an IT function will only consider a new job or position that allows them to work from a location of their choosing.

Requiring employees to fully return to site is also a risk for DEI. Under-represented groups of talent have seen improvements in the way they work since more flexibility has been allowed. For example, most women who were fully on-site before the pandemic but have been remote since then report that their expectations for working flexibly have increased since the start of the pandemic.

Employees with disabilities have also found vast improvements in the quality of their work experience. Since the pandemic, research from Gartner shows that knowledge workers with disabilities have found that their work environment has helped them become productive. For this population in a mixed environment, perceptions of equity also improved, as they experienced higher levels of respect and greater access to managers. Organizations should take these improvements into account if they offer a work setup that includes traditionally underrepresented groups of talent.

Avoid the myth of connecting culture to the individual

Organizations considering an on-site return-to-office model are often convinced that their culture is compromised by a lack of regular in-person interactions. A flexible work environment does not compromise culture but leverages it. Most of the workforce, including IT employees, report an improvement in organizational culture in a blended workplace.

Organizations that set work practices against employee preference are more likely to damage the culture and have long-term consequences. The quality of day-to-day experiences for employees has not only remained unchanged but has also been improved with greater flexibility.

Organizations opting for a return-to-office mandate must be aware not only of the risks but also of the lost opportunities. Flexibility fuel performance. Organizations that adopt a model designed for flexibility will see benefits in organizational outcomes such as performance, retention and DEI.

To prepare for this environment, CIOs must:

• Adopt new interaction and communication practices to ensure a diverse, equitable and inclusive experience for all team members, anywhere:
• Develop a set of human-centered principles that set expectations for fundamental resilience to guide communications and interactions.
• Survey and consult with IT employees to validate expectations, experiences and options.
• Work with C-suite leaders to determine how best to accommodate a flexible working approach that leverages the hybrid environment, supports workforce retention, fosters engagement and delivers high performance.

Jose Ramirez is a Senior Principal Analyst at Gartner Inc., where he focuses on enhancing the IT workforce, IT talent management, DEI strategies, and diagnosing and changing organizational culture. Gartner analysts are presenting additional insights on IT talent and organizational culture at the Gartner Digital Workplace Summit, June 12-13 in San Diego, California.