Ian McGrath has made it clear to his bosses: If the company forces staff to return to the office, heB次元官网网址檒l tender his resignation.

The Halifax-area tech worker says heB次元官网网址檚 thriving working from home. His productivity has soared, his last annual review exceeded expectations and heB次元官网网址檚 now one of the companyB次元官网网址檚 top performers.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e also achieved a much better work-life balance,B次元官网网址� McGrath said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 healthier, happier and more productive.B次元官网网址�

Businesses are issuing return-to-office plans across the country, calling white-collar workers back to their cubicles after two years of working from home.

As pandemic restrictions are lifted and case numbers ease, some companies want workers back in the office five days a week. On the other side of the spectrum, others are vacating pricey leases in prime downtown areas and asking employees to work remotely for good.

Many others are adopting a hybrid model, varying from a flexible come-when-you-want approach to mandating specific days workers must report to the office for duty.

Yet after more than two years of Zoom calls and Slack chats from home, wearing comfy B次元官网网址渟oftB次元官网网址� pants and having more time for kids or exercise or reading, employees may be resistant to returning to the office.

B次元官网网址淪ome employers just want to flip a switch and turn back time to how things were,B次元官网网址� said Catherine Connelly, human resources and management professor at McMaster UniversityB次元官网网址檚 DeGroote School of Business.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 wishful thinking,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚f you look at any other past pandemic B次元官网网址� behaviours just did not reset to how things were.B次元官网网址�

A return to the office doesnB次元官网网址檛 affect all workers equally, said Connelly, also Canada Research Chair in organizational behaviour.

Multiple factors can influence how employees respond to the revival of office life, from the comfort of their home working conditions and personality type to their workplace culture and office set up.

B次元官网网址淚f youB次元官网网址檝e got a nice big office with a door that closes and maybe a dedicated parking space, thatB次元官网网址檚 very different than someone being asked to work from a noisy cubicle with a lot of interruptions,B次元官网网址� she said.

The key to a successful return-to-office plan is flexibility and taking it slow, experts say.

If workers feel like they are being coerced into returning to the office, theyB次元官网网址檒l push back.

B次元官网网址淚f people perceive it as control being taken away from them, youB次元官网网址檙e going to get resistance,B次元官网网址� said Paula Allen, global leader and senior vice-president of research and total well-being at LifeWorks.

B次元官网网址淭wo years is a long time for habits to become ingrained and people donB次元官网网址檛 like change,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚t wonB次元官网网址檛 change overnight.B次元官网网址�

Some tech companies, previously known for workplace perks such as free office fitness classes and nap rooms, are again turning to incentives to help lure workers back to the office.

ServiceNow Canada, an enterprise software company with offices in Montreal and Toronto and plans to open a Calgary location soon, is hoping to entice employees with free meals and team-building events.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e starting to put on some events to say, B次元官网网址榃eB次元官网网址檙e here, come on down and have some fun,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� said Marc LeCuyer, vice-president and general manager of ServiceNow Canada.

The tech company has held a Taco Tuesday lunch, a pop-up from a local bakery and a pizza making event, he said.

B次元官网网址淲e want to get back to this mindset where human connection is valuable and healthy,B次元官网网址� Lecuyer said. B次元官网网址淲e want to set the stage for a return to the office in a very positive way.B次元官网网址�

The company doesnB次元官网网址檛 plan to mandate a return to the office, he said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e providing people with choice,B次元官网网址� Lecuyer said. B次元官网网址淚f youB次元官网网址檙e working for an employer who is forcing you to do something that you donB次元官网网址檛 want to do, thereB次元官网网址檚 no path to positive experience.B次元官网网址�

The desire to attract employees back to offices with perks such as free food has been a boon for startups like Hungerhub, a corporate catering tech platform that delivers lunches to workplaces from local restaurants.

Sari Abdo, co-founder and CEO of the Toronto-based startup, said the corporate lunch program eases some of the burden of returning to an office.

B次元官网网址淚 think weB次元官网网址檙e seeing a carrot-and-stick approach to getting employees back in the office and this is a carrot,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淐ompanies are saying, B次元官网网址楧onB次元官网网址檛 worry about food, donB次元官网网址檛 worry about meal planning, just come on in.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

While a free lunch is a nice gesture, companies do have the right to call workers back into the office B次元官网网址� no incentive required, said employment lawyer Hermie Abraham.

B次元官网网址淭his is the employerB次元官网网址檚 legal right and decision as to how they wish to implement return-to-work plans,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淧eople may feel like they should have the right to continue working from home but unless thereB次元官网网址檚 a human rights consideration, they donB次元官网网址檛.B次元官网网址�

Many workers going into the office for the first time in years are groaning about a lengthy commute, expensive parking and the soaring cost of lunch.

But from a legal standpoint, Abraham said itB次元官网网址檚 largely B次元官网网址渢oo bad, so sad.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淵ou may have realized gains during COVID because you didnB次元官网网址檛 have to pay for those things, but thatB次元官网网址檚 not your employerB次元官网网址檚 problem,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭his is the job you signed up for when you originally were hired.B次元官网网址�

Still, Abraham said a best practice would be to allow a gradual return to the office B次元官网网址� particularly given the current red hot labour market.

B次元官网网址淭here is going to be a war for talent in some positions and the more accommodating and flexible you are as an employer, the greater chances that youB次元官网网址檒l win.B次元官网网址�

Halifax-area tech worker Ian McGrath said heB次元官网网址檚 aware of the low unemployment rate and competition for talent in many industries, including his.

B次元官网网址淚 know what the market looks like right now,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 know that I could leave my job for somewhere else and make more money.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擝rett Bundale, The Canadian Press