In 2022, many company leaders are looking for ways to boost employee morale as they begin to transition to a hybrid or in-person working model. Whether you decide to offer return-to-office gifts or cater a weekly breakfast, it’s important to continue finding ways to make employees feel valued and appreciated.

Consider these six welcome back to the office ideas designed to help ensure employees feel connected and increase engagement.

1. Invest in some festive decorations

Having employees transition into a hybrid or in-office working model can be a big change. Consider adding an element of fun to your office return by having an oversized “Welcome Back” banner. You can include your company logo and branding on the banner, making it a perfect backdrop for photos.

You can also consider decorating with  balloons or streamers — it’ll help put employees in a more celebratory mood and set the tone for a positive, uplifting transition.

2. Host a welcome-back event

A welcome-back event is a great way to get the team excited about being back in the office. Your event can be as simple or as elaborate as you want, and can be customized based on your location, team size and budget. Some ideas include:

However you structure your welcome-back event, be sure to include food. Grubhub makes it easy to cater your event with delicious meals from a variety of local restaurants. By using our individually boxed meals filter, you will only be shown restaurants that individually box the food instead of preparing platters. Boxed catering meals promote safety and make it easy for teams to social distance by quickly grabbing their box.

3. Treat employees to return-to-office gifts

Offering employees return-to-office gifts are a great way to express your employee gratitude and boost morale.

Some examples of gifts can include:

  • Self-care kits that include items like skin care and grooming products, candles or speciality teas.
  • Gift cards that can be used outside of work, such as to a local gym, movie theater or for ordering food.
  • Practical items that are useful in a professional setting, such as an insulated and reusable coffee mug, a personalized water bottle, or company- branded hand sanitizer.

Consider further personalizing your gift with a handwritten note.

4. Offer flexible scheduling

Working from home can offer employees some flexibility in their day, and can help their work-life balance.

A great way to support employees as they return to the office is to let them know they have options for flexible scheduling.

Some options for flexible scheduling include:

  • Staggered start and end times, while some employees might enjoy working a typical 9-5 shift others may prefer starting earlier or later.
  • A transition period during which current work-from-home employees come into the office only a few days a week.

5. Ask for feedback

As you navigate the transition period, consider asking your team for feedback. This can help you better understand how to motivate employees and support their return to work.

Sample feedback questions include:

  • How are they handling the change in working models?
  • What are their concerns?
  • Is there anything the company can do to make the transition easier?
  • Are the flexible scheduling options already in place making a difference?

Give feedback the consideration it deserves and take action as needed. Employees will appreciate their feelings being heard and incorporating requested changes can help with retaining and hiring top talent.

6. Provide meal perks

Take the stress out of deciding what to pack for lunch by offering your employees meal perks. Individual meal perks are an easy way to foster inclusion in a hybrid work environment, as everyone gets the same meal budget and can order what they love, wherever they’re working.

You can also allow teams to place a group order from a variety of local restaurants. If your teams are coming in twice a week, consider allowing them to place a group order on the days they are in the office. Group orders arrive together and are individually bagged and labeled, which helps to discourage food sharing and eliminate waste.

Welcome your employees back to the office with Grubhub

A corporate ordering solution like Grubhub can make offering office meal perks for employees simple, stress-free and cost-effective. Contact us today to see how Grubhub can work for your hybrid and in-person teams.