How Many Twin Cities Companies Are Returning to the Office?

Chris Dardis

October 8, 2020

A number of weeks ago, we created a LinkedIn poll that asked the question, “What are your plans for returning to the office?”

The local results showed that about 30% of Twin Cities companies had returned or were returning to the office in some capacity (full-time or part-time), while 70% of companies had no plans to return to the office until 2021.

Of the 30% that had returned in some capacity, these employees were primarily from smaller companies, manufacturing businesses, or were considered essential workers. The 70% of respondents that had no plans to return to the office were mainly large companies in the Twin Cities area that had multiple office locations.

These results were not of surprise for me. It’s critical that when employees return to the office, precautions and protocols are in place to keep employees safe. This is much easier for a smaller company to undertake than that of a larger company. We would be remiss if we did not make mention of those that are not able to come back to the office even if they wanted to due to distance learning, and childcare challenges during these times. Regardless of the situation of working remotely or on-site, all companies are faced with a similar challenge.

How do we balance the need to drive business forward while also keeping morale up and employees engaged?

We believe that before we can tackle morale or employee engagement, we must understand the recent buzz around Psychological Safety. Do your employees feel accepted and respected? Are they able to show up without fear of negative consequences?

With all that is happening in the world around us surrounding a global pandemic, social injustice, and the sheer weight of what many households are juggling to keep everything afloat, its no surprise to hear that psychological safety is at the top of the priority list for companies and leaders and it should be.

So, how do companies drive business forward and keep their employees feeling safe at the same time?

That is the million-dollar question, but I truly believe it begins with listening and trying to understand the individual realities that your employees are living through, and if possible working through each situation on an individualized basis to ensure first and foremost psychological safety is met.

Chris Dardis / About Author

Chris Dardis is the President of Versique’s Consulting division. Having both corporate leadership and agency recruiting experience, Chris has the unique ability to understand his clients’ human capital needs and offer strategic consultative solutions.

Chris has more than 19 years of combined experience within corporate HR leadership positions and the executive search and consulting industry. This experience provides Chris with the unique ability to truly understand his clients’ human capital needs and offer strategic customized solutions. Chris’s HR network in the Twin Cities is second-to-none and provide value to his candidates and clients.

To find out how Chris can help your business’ HR department achieve greater success, you can contact him by phone or email at the bottom of the page.

Chris’s Approach
Chris understands that, as baby boomers retire and millennial’s enter the workforce, there’s no denying that things are changing. As the world around us progresses, employers expect a set of work competencies that are aligned with the skill demands of the 21st century. Whether your organization is looking for additional insight, an outside eye, or someone to enhance processes and boost productivity, Chris has a deep understanding of the role HR plays in the recruiting process and what it takes for HR departments to be successful both today and tomorrow.