In the post-COVID world, hybrid work schedules have become the preferred choice for most companies. In fact, ezCater’s Food For Work report found that almost half of respondents said they have a hybrid workplace (46%), 49% are fully onsite, and only 5% say they’re fully remote. 

Giving employees the best of both worlds, with a few days at home and a few days in the office, can work for everyone — especially if you create the kind of workplace experience that makes them want to join their teams on the onsite days.

To help you strategize how you can make your hybrid work experience as appealing as possible, here are several ideas for shifting your employees’ hybrid work schedules in your favor.

Idea #1: Provide free catered lunch

Feed them, and they will come. According to our Food for Work report, employees say that food is the number one office perk, and 93% of employers say that free food encourages employees to come into work when it’s not mandatory. Whether you provide food daily, once a week or once a quarter, recurring employee meals make workers more excited to come to the office.

Relish by ezCater is one way to provide catered lunch for your employees. It’s a convenient and easy-to-use app that organizes the entire process for you, from ordering to delivery and allows employees to choose their own meals from a wide variety of restaurants. 

The best part? You control your budget and when the food arrives.

Human resource professionals agree that in terms of perks, food at work provides the best value for its price. It’s a proven strategy for getting employees into the office — and a great retention tool as well. Forty-six percent of workers go so far as to say that employer-provided food makes them more likely to stay at their current company.

Idea #2: Host catered holidays and parties

Employees are more motivated to go into the office when they can socialize with coworkers, see their work friends, and build team bonds. You can encourage these behaviors at the workplace to boost morale and build stronger team bonds.

To do this, consider breaking up the day-to-day routine with catered holiday parties and special events to bring your workers together.

Planning workplace celebrations for the big holidays is table stakes. However, you can celebrate more often by planning events around fun food holidays. Who wouldn’t want to show up to the office for Chocolate Cake Day, Sushi Day, or Guacamole Day? Catered events can help forge stronger in-person connections and inspire your hybrid workers to stop by the job site more often.

Idea #3: Add an on-site gym or offer fitness classes

About half of employees say fitness perks are among their most desired workplace benefits. You’re encouraging your employees to take care of their physical and mental health by providing a gym or regular fitness classes at the office. Even better, workplace health programs can decrease absenteeism and lower employee healthcare costs.

Plus, this is a great way to take advantage of habit stacking. If your employees are already in the habit of working out, you can stack that habit with showing up at the office.

Idea #4: Provide a transportation stipend

Commuting to the workplace takes time and costs your employees money. Gasoline, vehicle maintenance, tolls, and parking costs add up. The average worker spends $8,466 commuting yearly, which they can largely avoid by working from home.

You can eliminate this financial burden with a transportation stipend. With the cost of getting to and from work removed, traveling to the office may become less stressful, and your employees will certainly appreciate the gesture.

Idea #5: Offer childcare at or near the office

For many, the best thing about remote work has been the impact on  employees who juggle work and childcare. Working from home has given many parents new opportunities to watch their own children, partner with community and family members for childcare, and make use of childcare services closer to their homes.

Lack of childcare is a real barrier for many parents who’d like (or even prefer) to work onsite, yet fewer than 6% of workplaces offer childcare at or near the office, and nearly 60% of parents say that a lack of childcare is their reason for leaving the workforce. 

By offering childcare at or near the workplace, you can help parents work from the office more easily.

Idea #6: Share that you want them back

Employees feel more engaged and part of their company’s mission and vision if they’re involved in the decisions that impact the entire company. 

So hold a company-wide meeting to explain why your organization values some in-office time. Then, back that up with examples of how it’s good for business, morale, and company culture. Be sure to include the work perks you’re providing to make their in-person days even more fun.

Sharing this with your workers gives them more reason to choose to return to the office more often.

Make hybrid work… work for your business

As your business strategizes how best to get your remote and hybrid workers back into the office, consider what makes working from home so appealing. The above ideas can help make commuting to the workplace more enticing — and even add a bit of excitement to your employees’ lives. Whether you choose catered lunch or other perks, you’ll be helping to improve the in-office experience.

Simply put, feeding your employees is good business. Download ezCater’s Food For Work Report to learn more about how feeding your workforce can drive business results.