Overview
Although it was not a new concept, the pandemic created by the spread of COVID-19 resulted in businesses around the globe needing to quickly adapt to virtual means of working, if possible. However, now that the virus is mostly under control and vaccinations are now available, in person work has returned, although not at the same rate as before the COVID-19 shutdowns occurred. That takes us to our present day, where there seems to be quite a bit of discussion surrounding employees’ return to work… or “Return to Office” (RTO) as it is also known, which may also include finding the balance between working remotely and working on site (hybrid model).
While employers are primarily concerned about workplace productivity, it appears that many employees do not wish to return to the office. The real question is—or should be—what is the impact on productivity? Can we get more done working from home part of the week and going into an office for part of the week? Is there a “sweet spot” where modern virtual communication technologies can make it unnecessary to drive (and fight rush hour traffic) to and from work 5 days a week?
As this course focuses on organizational behavior and change issues related to improved workplace conditions and improved performance, in an 800-1000-word (2.5 - 3 pages) paper, please address the following:
- Why is the issue of RTO important to consider and what is the general attitude of RTO today? Are most for it or against it? Why or why not?
- For example, is there a generational difference in RTO preferences?
- What research has already been done on this topic?
- For example, Google and other companies have performed research on it and have formed an opinion. Bear in mind that Google's solution may work for Google, but that doesn't mean it will work everywhere.
- Please integrate our course materials and outside relevant sources you may find as well (be sure to cite your work within each paragraph it is summarized and include a matching reference page as per APA guidelines).
- You are encouraged to integrate your own work experience, as that is equivalent to basic research data.
- What solutions do you think would work best to solve the situation? What would be the impact of your solution on your company? On employees? Justify your argument with research and logic by citing your sources in the body of your text and on your reference page.
Other Requirements:
- Please use APA style to design your paper. Remember to start with a cover page and use headers to organize your work. Begin with an Introductory paragraph, use section headers and then end with a Conclusion paragraph and a Reference page.
- Be sure to cite any sources used in each paragraph where that thought is shared/summarized or quoted and add that same citation to the reference page.
- Please do not use AI to write your paper for you (as we have an AI detection tool built into Turnitin) and be cautious of your similarity score on Turnitin.
- Looking forward to your research and thoughts!