The transition from remote to office work is a challenge in the true sense of the word for both companies and employees. This decision is not an easy one to make, especially since the employees have different opinions on this subject and at the same time it must be taken into account that the rules imposed by the pandemic must be strictly observed throughout the alert state, aspect that should not be neglected in any form. However, plans to return to office are getting closer to being put into practice by a large number of companies, and the hybrid way of working – in which employees spend their time working both in the office and from home, it seems to be the most liked by most organizations at the moment.
Before putting into practice the concrete plan of returning employees to the office, it is good to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of this process, both in relation to employees and in relation to company productivity, and only then communicate the decision to employees.
Key steps to follow:
1. Establishing a well-developed communication strategy in which you should involve employees
The first and perhaps the most important step you need to take before making the decision for employees to return to the office is to create a communication strategy. It is not enough to simply announce via e-mail that from date X, employees must come to the office. At first, you should take the pulse of the employees and find out their opinion about what is going to happen. The best way to find out what employees think is by conducting a survey, which clearly shows their opinion about returning to office, as well as their wishes and needs and possible pros and cons.
Preparing your employees and getting their feedback have the role of avoiding a potential shock among them, as well as the emergence of tensions within the company, things that would only lead to demotivation and decreased productivity over a long period.
Given that returning to office will be a major change for everyone, it is advisable to do it gradually so that employees do not feel confused. Also, make sure that the voice of each employee can be heard, in the sense that anyone is welcome to ask questions to the management team or to share their concerns about returning to the office.
2. Ensuring the safety / health of employees
The next thing to keep in mind when creating your return-to-office plan is related to people’s safety and health, so take the necessary steps to create a safer environment.
Office preparation
It is very important to take all safety measures regarding the health of employees when they return to office. However, the set of measures should be communicated to the employees before physically coming to the office and this in order to get used at least mentally to the rules and procedures that they must follow once they return to work.
First of all, all employees returning to the office will have their temperature measured at the entrance to the building. Wearing a mask, inside the building, both in the common spaces and inside the office, is also a rule that no one can deviate from, not even the vaccinated. Both at the entrance to the building and in the offices must be disinfection points so that all employees have the opportunity to sanitize their hands before coming into contact with the surfaces or objects in the office. In order for all these essential rules to be strictly observed, it is good to have informative posters that remind employees of these things.
Also, in areas where employees gather in greater numbers, such as common areas such as the kitchen or outdoor seating areas, it is advisable to display markings with short instructions to remind them to maintain social distance and to disinfect the place where they eat.
Another measure that must be taken to limit the risk of illness is the recalculation of the capacity of the meeting rooms so that the social distance between the employees during the meetings is respected and the corresponding marking of the new rules.
Keeping a record of the number of employees who come to office daily
For a long time to come, the main concern of employers will be to maintain the good health of employees. So every day must be kept a record of all the people who come to the office so that there is no high risk of illness. And what better way to do this than with the help of an application, which once used eliminates the risk that too many employees are present at office on the same day? Specifically, the PandemSafe application offers the possibility to reserve seats in work spaces, offices and meeting rooms, so that the rules of social distance are observed. A reservation can be made either by the employee or by the department manager, HR or another person responsible for the organization within the company. Also, through this application, managers have real-time access to data regarding the number of employees on a given day in the office, as well as their placement on workspaces. In this way, the employer is sure to comply with the legislation on the number of employees that is allowed, at this time, in an office.
3. Opting for the new hybrid work model
After almost a year and a half of working from home, in which they had a flexible work schedule, as well as a balance between personal and professional life, many employees are skeptical about returning to the office. Because of this, employers must handle this transition with great care and ensure that this return to normality will not be overwhelming for employees. At the moment, the saving solution seems to be a mix between remote work and office work, which could be a middle ground between what employees and companies want.
Concrete measures that employers can take for a smoother transition to returning employees to office:
- Flexible schedule
The main reason why employees want to continue working remotely is related to the flexibility of the work schedule, which has an important role in improving the work-life balance. Thus, employers must consider the possibility of allowing employees to continue working from home, a few days a week but also to show flexibility in terms of starting the work schedule.
- Employee motivation
Retaining employees will depend very much on the ability to keep them motivated and involved by offering them the chance to get involved in new projects and work teams, once they return to the office.
4. Employee counseling
In addition to the challenges related to post-pandemic time management, there will be a series of challenges related to the employee’s mental state, which must adapt to the new normal, upon returning to the office.
Some employees may fear illness when they return to work, while for others, social interaction, after a year and a half of work from home, can be a real burden. At the same time, there is another category of employees for whom returning to the office means reconnecting with the team and a good opportunity to socialize. Whatever the case, HR managers and people must constantly be concerned with the mood and morale of employees by implementing wellbeing programs that reduce the emotional stress caused by today’s times.
Again, a series of surveys and focus groups can be organized to assess the condition of employees and to find valuable information that will help them make decisions within the organization.
5. Focus on one-on-one discussions
Department managers need to take the time to have one-on-one discussions with newly returned employees to assess their mental / emotional state as well as their motivation and involvement.
Such individual discussions can be the key to real, two-way communication that can lead to increased employee engagement, increased productivity and loyalty, values that can turn the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity for the company.
It is also good for each manager to embrace new ways of working and leadership in the workplace and to act quickly and decisively in adopting new strategies, as well as innovative ways of collaboration and communication for the future.
As a general conclusion, with all the care given to employees, it is still helpful to have a balance between what both employers and employees want, especially as several studies conducted by large organizations such as Microsoft or the Adecco group have shown that partial recovery at the office is not a fad of the employer, but rather a necessity dictated by the need for interaction, connection and socialization of people.