We’re four plus years from the office culture we all knew before Covid rocked the world. Some companies returned to work here in Georgia as soon as they could, but likely they were small, privately owned companies. Now we’re seeing companies like UPS and NCR requiring employees to be back in the office full time. If your company hasn’t yet returned to the office full time and would like to, what does that strategy look like for you?
NCR recently announced that the leadership team will bartend for employees and the company’s Atlanta Midtown campus includes a coffee bar, gym, food stations, and outdoor space. NCR has more than 15,000 employees and a 750,000 SF campus, but if you are a small to medium sized company in Atlanta what are your options to bring employees back to the office?
Amenities, Amenities, Amenities! You don’t need a 750,000 square foot campus in order to offer amenities. Class A and some Class B buildings offer onsite amenities like fitness facilities, restaurants, coffee bars, and nearby restaurants and retail. Upgrading your office space can be a great way to attract and retain talent. If you think this might be unattainable think again. There are some great sublease options on the market that are listed at a significant distant from direct rates and they’re move in ready. Atlanta sublease listings like Glenridge Highlands Two and Westside Collective are two great examples. Check out all of our Sublease Top Picks at AtlantaSublease.com and search by Atlanta submarket.
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Read on to find out what NCR is doing to make it more desirable to head to the office (read the full ABC article here):
Every few weeks, NCR Voyix’s executive leadership team bartends for employees during a recurring “Fun Thursday” event at its Atlanta headquarters.
It’s part of the company’s strategy to create a “great place to come work” as it prepares to bring employees back to the office five days a week, CEO David Wilkinson said. Other amenities meant to sell employees on the company’s 750,000-square-foot Midtown campus include a coffee bar, gym, company branded food stations, outdoor space and about 100,000 square feet of lab space.
“We think having people in the office collaborating is the right work style for what we’re trying to do as a culture,” Wilkinson told Atlanta Business Chronicle in an exclusive interview. “Part of our responsibility is, how do we create a great place to come to work?”
NCR Voyix, Georgia’s fourth-largest fintech company, notified employees of its return-to-office policy on March 28, the Chronicle reported. The policy starts May 6 at the company’s Atlanta headquarters before it will roll out to other locations and roles.
Select remote employees will remain remote. Office employees will have 40 flexible days per year for remote work. This year’s days are prorated to 26.
Wilkinson said the new policy is based on better collaboration and serving customers in the restaurant, retail and banking industries.
“When I talked to the CEOs of all my clients, they never got to send anybody home [for remote work during the pandemic],” Wilkinson said.
NCR Voyix is one of the few large companies in Atlanta to implement a five-day return-to-office policy, following UPS Inc. The Home Depot Inc., Atlanta’s largest public company by revenue, requires corporate employees to work in-office four days a week, with exceptions for some roles.
The change in policy comes as the debate over return to office mandates between companies and employees continues. A recent survey by Gartner found that women, millennials and high-performers are more likely to leave employers with strict return-to-office policies.
NCR Voyix’s previous policy was in-person work three days a week. Wilkinson believes there is “not a lot of flexibility” in a schedule that requires employees to be in the office Tuesday through Thursday.
But, “the team wants to argue a little bit with me,” he said.
Wilkinson said he understands that there are roles within the company that can be done with hybrid or flexible schedules and that he believes employees should have a life outside of the office. He said the company would take the new policy “country by country and site by site and role by role.”
Wilkinson said the policy is flexible and he would reevaluate if employee response requires it. He said the policy would give more power to managers.
The company conducted employee engagement surveys, which showed employees wanted more connection with one another, better access to management and in-person coaching.
“That doesn’t mean everybody says, ‘I want to come back to the office five days a week,’” Wilkinson said. “But there’s not a lot of ways to act on those things without bringing people back.”
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