Swift Staffing HR Files allows managers to ask questions that will be answered directly by our CEO, Darcy Swift. This month’s question is: How to Combat The Never Ending Work From Home/In Office Battle?
QUESTION: At the beginning of this year, my company gave our staff the option to either work in office or at home. As a manager, I have had to combat the constant complaint that in office employees get preferential treatment (we throw birthday parties and cater in food on long days). This past week, upper management decided we would have a dinner for in office employees. If work from home employees can’t make it, we would send a gift certificate so everyone can enjoy a holiday dinner on the company.
Now my in office employees are complaining that the work from homers are getting special treatment. They get a gift card to use when they want while in office employees “only get a dinner”. I feel like I can’t win. It’s always one complaining about the other regardless of what we do. Is there a way to resolve this in office/work from home favoritism fight?
ANSWER: First of all, the dinner is given as a gift from the company. It is not something that is required so to complain in any way reflects on your employees negatively. Overall, the best way to combat this issue is to make it a non-issue by making everything even across the board. If something is happening in the office, work from home employees are invited to come. However, if they cannot make it, then it’s no different than an in office employee being absent.
If they employees would rather a gift certificate instead of a dinner, then cancel the dinner and everything that was planned with it and simply offer the gift certificate instead. This may actually save your company some money as well as fix the favoritism issue. You can’t please everyone all the time. This is the fairest way to do things and if your employees still aren’t satisfied then maybe all extras need to go away for a while until they are appreciated.
If you have a question you want answered, please CONTACT US HERE. We will feature one frequently asked question a month.
Swift Staffing HR Files allows managers to ask questions that will be answered directly by our CEO, Darcy Swift. This month’s question is: How to Combat The Never Ending Work From Home/In Office Battle?
QUESTION: At the beginning of this year, my company gave our staff the option to either work in office or at home. As a manager, I have had to combat the constant complaint that in office employees get preferential treatment (we throw birthday parties and cater in food on long days). This past week, upper management decided we would have a dinner for in office employees. If work from home employees can’t make it, we would send a gift certificate so everyone can enjoy a holiday dinner on the company.
Now my in office employees are complaining that the work from homers are getting special treatment. They get a gift card to use when they want while in office employees “only get a dinner”. I feel like I can’t win. It’s always one complaining about the other regardless of what we do. Is there a way to resolve this in office/work from home favoritism fight?
ANSWER: First of all, the dinner is given as a gift from the company. It is not something that is required so to complain in any way reflects on your employees negatively. Overall, the best way to combat this issue is to make it a non-issue by making everything even across the board. If something is happening in the office, work from home employees are invited to come. However, if they cannot make it, then it’s no different than an in office employee being absent.
If they employees would rather a gift certificate instead of a dinner, then cancel the dinner and everything that was planned with it and simply offer the gift certificate instead. This may actually save your company some money as well as fix the favoritism issue. You can’t please everyone all the time. This is the fairest way to do things and if your employees still aren’t satisfied then maybe all extras need to go away for a while until they are appreciated.
If you have a question you want answered, please CONTACT US HERE. We will feature one frequently asked question a month.