Where people work
Return to office survey
If the decision is final and nothing about it can change, don't ask people how they feel about it. Tell them, and use this survey to find out what would make the days work.
Opens this survey in Gists as a draft you can edit. Sign in with Slack, Google or your work email. 30 days free. No card needed.
The research, and who it helps
Bloom, Han and Liang ran a randomized trial with 1,612 employees at a Chinese technology company: hybrid working improved job satisfaction and cut quit rates by a third, with no detectable effect on performance grades or promotions over two years (Bloom et al., 2024).
A meta-analysis of 46 studies and 12,883 employees found telecommuting had small, mostly beneficial effects, partly through autonomy, and no general harm to relationships. Above 2.5 days a week, though, it harmed relationships with coworkers (Gajendran & Harrison, 2007).
Both are about particular populations and neither speaks to your office, so your decision may well rest on things they didn't measure.
Timing
Before the details are fixed if you can, and again four to eight weeks after the change starts. After that, the hybrid work survey is the better regular check.
Six questions
How clear are the expectations for time in the office?
1 = not clear, 5 = completely clear
How do you feel about spending more time in the office?
Pick one
- Negative
- Somewhat negative
- Neutral
- Somewhat positive
- Positive
What concerns you most, if anything?
Pick any, optional
- Commute time or cost
- Personal or family circumstances
- Less focus time
- Office space or equipment
- No major concerns
Do you know how to ask for an adjustment if you need one?
Yes or no
What would make office days most worthwhile for you?
Pick any, optional
- Teammates there on the same days
- Quiet space to focus
- Good meeting rooms
- Social time
- Meals or amenities
- Mentoring and learning
- Something else
Is there anything else you want us to consider?
Written answer, optional
We wrote these questions for this survey and they are not a validated scale. You can edit them once the survey opens in Gists. If you copy them into another tool, check what it records about who answered.
Question 3 keeps personal circumstances in one option on purpose, so that a small group's answers don't expose anyone's health or caring situation. Check it with whoever advises you on employment law if you plan to add detail.
Before you run this
A change to where people work may trigger consultation duties, or works council rights, in some countries, and adjustments for health or caring can carry legal duties. Those depend on where you are, so take advice. If the results lead to different rules for different groups, check whether any group is disproportionately affected before you decide.
The decision it helps with
What should the office arrangement be, or, if that's decided, what would make those days worthwhile?
Running it
Before you finalize details if they can change, and four to eight weeks after they start. If the decision is final, don't ask how people feel about it; drop question 2 or be honest that it won't change anything. Question 3 groups personal circumstances into one option on purpose, so this survey doesn't collect anyone's health or caring details. Individual adjustment requests go to a named person, separately.
What the results might look like
These are made-up examples to show the patterns, not real data.
Rules are unclear
2.5 on question 1, and managers reading the rules differently.
- What it means
- People don't know what's expected.
- What it doesn't mean
- It doesn't mean people oppose the policy.
- What to do
- Write the rule in two sentences, including what happens when someone can't meet it.
“Teammates there on the same days” leads
65% pick it on question 5.
- What it means
- Being there alone is the complaint.
- What it doesn't mean
- It doesn't mean they'd enjoy more days in the office.
- What to do
- Coordinate anchor days by team before adding more required days.
People don't know how to ask for an adjustment
40% “No” on question 4.
- What it means
- There's a gap in how the policy was announced.
- What it doesn't mean
- It doesn't tell you how many need one.
- What to do
- Publish the route and the person, and tell managers to point people there.
What to tell people afterwards
Tell people what you heard, what changed because of it, and what isn't changing and why.
What to measure next, and when
Send the hybrid work survey a quarter after the change settles, and compare by team.
Reading the results
Results show only when 5 or more people answer. A team below 5 rolls up into the team above it. A group is also held back when comparing it with another group could reveal a small team. HR and named leaders see every team with 5 or more answers. Each manager sees only their own team. Employees see no team scores. Themes only by default. Word-for-word answers are a company setting, off unless turned on, and employees see a notice before they write.
Related
Sources
- Bloom, N., Han, R., Liang, J. (2024). Hybrid working from home improves retention without damaging performance. Nature, 630, 920-925. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07500-2
- Gajendran, R. S., Harrison, D. A. (2007). The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 1524-1541. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.92.6.1524