You've likely heard it a thousand times, so allow me to say it for the one thousand and first time: As you start to return to your offices in some form, rather than returning to "normal," think of it as hitting the reset button. Consider this a chance to return to something better than before - recognizing that for a heck of a lot of people, the old normal wasn't working very well for them! 

To guide a great conversation around this tap into, yup, yet again, the old "Wheel of Change": 

1. What's the #1 thing you need to keep doing that was actually working better for everyone working remotely? Shorter meetings? Less travel? Allowing more flexible work options? Allowing people to wear more comfortable clothing at work? Trusting everyone more?

2. What's the #1 thing you need to stop doing? Having people coming into work when they're sick? Holding painfully long meetings? Measuring attendance and not outcome? 

3. What's 1 thing you need to create/start doing? Friday happy hours to reconnect? Create a culture-boosting squad to strengthen your culture? Daily meditation/mindfulness practices? Buy everyone a copy of my latest book, The Jerk-Free Workplace, to help everyone step up as a frontline leader and build a more rocking workplace? (Personally, I love this last idea!)

You may find it challenging to limit yourself to just one item, but make sure you have this conversation! There are a lot of reasons why some employees say they were far more productive working from home - so talk openly about how you can make sure those same productivity-boosters can be carried forward at your office. And for the record, here are some of the top reasons employees cited for being more productive working from home:  fewer interruptions; more focused work time; less office politics; quieter work spaces; and more comfortable work spaces.