PRIVATE concerts, pop-up events, classes and workshops, luxury bus transport and wide-open liquor cabinets. These are some of the perks that companies worldwide are raining down, in a bid to lure their skittish workers back into the office.

I enjoy a free lunch as much as the next person, but I know there's no such thing. Such workplace bonanzas, besides costing more than I can conscientiously endorse, are painfully obvious in their intent. "Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to its Flies.

Don't get me wrong: I interacting in-person with colleagues, when the conditions are right. And it's important to create those opportunities. Regular work lunches, celebrations, and group activities were a staple of pre-pandemic working life, and I'm thrilled to see them returning.

As an introvert, however, I often do my best work when I'm alone. I am drained, instead of energised, by constantly being around others. I focus best when I can work in long stretches, without interruptions, and while being able to take breaks when I need it.

Curiously, the pandemic has also encouraged me to reach out more often to colleagues, and connect with them over meals and coffee. Pre-Covid, when lunchtime rolled around, I'd already be craving my personal space. So I preferred to eat alone, and forewent chances to form 1-on-1 connections.

There are many others like me, and many who are different. The point is that we are all wonderfully diverse, and should be our own best judge of how we can work most productively. Employers who are jumping straight to pulling out all the stops should pause, and ask themselves what their objectives really are.

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Are you bringing people together to bond meaningfully, and do good work together? Or are you trying to restock the flower pots that once decorated your cubicles?

So far, it seems Singapore employers are staying judicious. We haven't seen many anecdotes of lavish perks, akin to what some cash-flush companies have been doling out globally. The more common appears to be requiring employees to return several days a week. Even then, I fear we are missing the point.

Purposeful presence, not a roll call

The terms "flexible work" and "hybrid work" are often used interchangeably. They shouldn't be.

Truly flexible working arrangements mean that where, when, and how you do your work may be adjusted depending on business needs, and personal working styles and circumstances. You are still expected to earn every dollar of your salary, by delivering the same or even better outcomes.

Hybrid work stipulates that you must be in the office sometimes - for example, three days a week. It does offer some flexibility, since you can decide if you want to work remotely or in the office for the remaining two days of the week.

The downside of a model like this is that it pegs its assumptions about your productivity to the amount of time you spend in the office, and not what you show up to the office to actually accomplish.

Confusing the two approaches - purpose-based flexibility, and time-based hybrid arrangements - can distort productivity. People will be showing up to work because they have to be there, and not because they have something to do. Others may stay home when they should really be in the office, so they can maximise their allotment of work-from-home days.

A wiser approach may be to determine which activities need to be done on-site, while letting your managers determine the remaining activities that are more productively accomplished in-person. For some job roles, this is clearer: a premises inspector probably needs to be on the premises. For others, it's a judgment call.

In general, activities that need more intensive group engagement - like important meetings, brainstorming workshops, orientation sessions, and team bonding - are more effective when people are physically present. Lighter-touch activities, and work that is done individually, can be performed remotely. No one needs to be in the office to make a pie chart.

Admittedly, this approach relies heavily on your managers to make the right calls. Overly bashful managers might hesitate to call in their staff when they should. Overly controlling managers might decide that every activity should be a group activity, and every day an office day. So it's helpful to set guidelines at the management level.

Withers KhattarWong, for example, allows most of its employees to blend working-from-home with working in the office, depending on business needs. It has also told these employees that this could mean working from home twice a week, or even more.

A 3-day office week isn't cast as a commitment - presumably, since there could be intensive weeks when employees have to show up 4 or 5 days in a row. But putting out a number seems like a sensible way to align expectations across the board.

With power, comes responsibility

We are all feeling our way forward in the new world. Employers want to make sure they optimise productivity, and employee satisfaction. They will likely continue to experiment with different tactics in the months and even years ahead. Employees want to maximise their well-being - and for many, that includes being their best and most productive selves at work.

These objectives are not a zero-sum game. But they do require good faith on both sides. Employers must hire and develop employees that they can trust to allocate their time wisely. Employees should use their flexibilities responsibly, including knowing when they should be in the office instead of waiting for a manager to decide this for them.

The decisions we make now, on all sides, will help forge the post-pandemic compact between capital and labour. Hopefully, it will be a better one - and one that proves the fundamental wisdom of empowering responsible human beings with autonomy, to do their own best work.

In the end, it is not parties and freebies that will make the difference. We will get the workplace we deserve.