7 things employees hate about the office — and how to fix them

Published 3 Min Read

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In the early days of the pandemic, Larry English was inundated with requests from business leaders eager to learn how to successfully pivot their operations to remote work. But in the last six months, all that’s changed. 

“I don’t get asked about remote work at all,” says English, who’s the CEO of digital, business and technology consultancy Centric Consulting. “When the economy went south, [leadership] felt like they got some power back, and they could start bringing people back to the office — but they’ve largely left it up to HR to figure out what that means, and they haven’t given thoughtful consideration to what you need to make an office a good environment.” 

What may feel like small issues to management can have outsize importance to employees — so it’s vital to build a change management plan that will anticipate and address more granular problems from day one. 

As an example, English points to commute times, and the challenges that can come with intense rush hours, particularly in big cities. “Simply let employees come in later to avoid that rush hour,” he says, rather than enforcing a stringent 9-to-5 policy. That flexibility can also provide a cushion for working parents or other caregivers juggling drop-off and pick-up schedules for loved ones. “Give them that flexibility. Little things will go a long way.” 

Stephanie Schomer
Editor-in-chief

Stephanie Schomer is the editor-in-chief of Employee Benefit News. She was most recently the deputy editor of Entrepreneur magazine and previously held positions at Entertainment Weekly, … Read full bio


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