The post-pandemic office allows employees to work where they want while maintaining physical spaces that encourage in-person collaboration.
Business leaders know that — in the strained labor market — employees are empowered to demand that flexibility and that responding to their needs is essential to success, six employers spanning five industries told Arkansas Business.
To achieve this flexibility, equipment for videoconferencing in new and old brick-and-mortar offices is becoming commonplace.
Many of the employers were prepared for these changes and had desirable perks in place when the state saw its first COVID-19 case more than two years ago, but they have since adopted a more “intentional” recruitment and retention strategy.
“It’s making companies rethink their history and what they’ve done from a people experience perspective,” said Tyler Schaller, talent management director at First Orion Corp. of North Little Rock, a mobile technology company. “And so, while it does create a challenge in the recruiting landscape, I think it’s a better thing for all of us. Because now I think all companies are taking a hard look at the services they offer, their environment, their flexibility, their benefits and perks, like all of that that’s being reviewed, and so while it does make it hard on the landscape to hire because everyone’s competitive, I think it’s a good thing overall.”
First Orion was opening its new building in the Argenta neighborhood the same month Arkansas reported its first outbreak. The firm sent employees home to reduce their risk of infection.
Previously, about 20 of First Orion’s employees worked remotely on a full-time basis. Today, it’s about 65, Chief People Officer Libbi Whitehurst said.
Mary Ward, chief people officer at Acxiom LLC of Conway, a data management, data science and privacy technology company, said about 30% of its workforce was remote before COVID. Now, 60-65% is fully or partly remote.
At health insurer Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, spokesperson Max Greenwood said 60% of the workforce is still fully remote. Before COVID, that was about 35%. And about 25% are on hybrid schedules — a combination of working remotely and in the office — but Greenwood didn’t know how many had hybrid schedules before the pandemic.
At Little Rock law firm Rainwater Holt & Sexton, two or three people had worked remotely. Now about 25 employees, or 15% of its workforce, are remote, said CFO Rick Gunther.
The four companies have not mandated a return to the office or put in place strict policies for who works where. They’ve left that to managers and their teams to work out what’s best for all.
Only the law firm has drafted a new policy for remote workers, who must use a quiet space, dress appropriately and have a professional background for virtual client meetings.
Back in the Office at Simmons
While Simmons Bank of Pine Bluff has offered flexibility on a case-by-case basis, it has also asked employees to return to the office. “A lot of our interaction is with our customer, and a lot of times that has to be face-to-face,” said Ed Bilek, executive vice president of investor relations and public relations. “It’s important in banking to just see your customer, know your customer.”
Jena Compton, chief people and corporate strategy officer, added, “I think that, at our core, we believe being in the office is our preference. There’s just so much collaboration that you have happening. The energy is so good when everybody’s here. I think that creativity can be sparked.”
First Orion’s Whitehurst said that despite remote workers and hybrid schedules, her company’s parking lot is full every day. “We’re not going to get rid of our brick and mortar. … We love being together. So, you know, there’s an energy and an ease of collaboration when we’re all together,” she said.
Promoting Perks
All of the employers offered flexible schedules, but the past two years have made workplace flexibility and hybrid work “a critical part of almost every discussion now, whereas, before, it was not part of the discussion” with job applicants, said Mitch Bettis, who owns Five Legged Stool LLC of Little Rock. The digital marketing and media company owns FLEX360 of Little Rock and 30 publications including Arkansas Business and 360 West of Fort Worth.
Today, employers are being more intentional by promoting their flexibility and re-evaluating the perks they offer.
Acxiom examined compensation and made clear its commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and sustainability, something Ward said job seekers desire.
First Orion made its onboarding process a more efficient, curated experience for new hires. Schaller said the company’s focus on wellbeing sets it apart from the competition. It has a personal trainer on staff for employees and hosts fitness competitions throughout the year.
Rainwater Holt & Sexton’s hired a human resources coordinator to act as an in-house recruiter.
“Traditionally, we used to, like a lot of employers, we would wait for people to come to us. We would drop our hooks in the water through recruiters and our own ads,” Gunther said. “But the talent pool dried up, and people were not as eager to come to work or change jobs, and so we had to make a real intentional strategy, which is still ongoing.”
Compton, with Simmons, said the bank already had a strong, creative recruiting team to compete for talent. “Selecting an employee or an employer is a two-way relationship. It’s not so much about power as it is about finding a good match,” she said. “You know, if there are certain things the employee wants and certain things the employer wants, then we need to figure out if those match. Sometimes we find that people want things we don’t offer, but we believe that we have a very strong value proposition for our associates and many, many things that would attract an employee to come work here. … Everybody can’t be everything to everybody.”
Gathering feedback from employees and taking action to show you are listening is crucial, several employers said.
“I think the biggest piece of advice I would give [employers] is to keep the line of communication open with your employees. When employees, you know, offer critiques or suggestions, it’s really important to be diligent and work to understand the whys that are behind those critiques,” said Greenwood, with Blue Cross Blue Shield. “And I think it’s also really important that you’re willing to be flexible. So, you know, be fluid. I mean, you know, nothing today, nothing is permanent. … the employees [must] believe that you really are listening to them and they see that by your actions.”
Equipping Employees, Offices
Five Legged Stool is opening a new office to house its publications in Texas, and owner Bettis said that space will feature a “professional-quality audiovisual setup, the proper lighting, quality camera equipment and private space that allows us to have a video-based conversation in a professional environment.”
It will also have privacy pods and fewer meeting rooms than his company’s downtown Little Rock office, which since the pandemic has gained large screens conducive to videoconferencing.
Bettis’ company, along with the two technology companies and the bank, all had much of the equipment needed to support remote work and sent items home with employees as the pandemic raged. First Orion offered a stipend to offset costs for employees who needed to buy home office supplies.
“The path we were on already just accelerated,” Compton, with Simmons, said. It had already begun transitioning to laptops, implemented a virtual desktop capability allowing a computer desktop to be displayed on another computer and installed Microsoft Teams for videoconferences.
First Orion’s new building already had all the physical features needed, including large screens in conference rooms for virtual meetings. Hand-sanitizing stations were installed and are there to stay.
Rainwater Holt & Sexton was not as prepared. The law firm upgraded its antiquated phone system to an internet-based system during the pandemic. It also reconfigured its space from traditional cubicle workstations to larger workstations with higher walls and glass panels “to make it feel big and open, but also give people a little more privacy and comfort when it comes to working in a dense office,” Gunther said.
The firm also had to switch to more digital applications, like Zoom for videoconferencing, and use more electronic documentation processes, he said.
“You’ve got to embrace change and embrace the new workforce,” Gunther said. “If you don’t adapt, your employees are going to go somewhere else. Or, even worse, you’re going to be forced out of business.”
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