As spring warms into summer and Covid vaccination rollouts continue across the United States and around the globe, many businesses are looking ahead to their reopening plans.
There will be much to consider. Not only are there safety concerns and general workplace attitude shifts—consider that 87% of employers say they will embrace greater flexibility post-pandemic, with many planning a hybrid workplace model. But as economies slowly reopen and clients budget for future needs, many companies can also expect an influx of business in the coming months
It will be a huge job to figure out how and when to safely reopen. Luckily, there are a few certain steps they can take prior to and during the return to the office to ensure success in the months and years ahead. Here are a few suggestions.
Consider your staff requirements first
As you plan to reopen your office, you should think about what is best for your business and staff. What positions can be flexible or need to be fully in the office; which staff may have family concerns and need to work a few days from home. Bringing staff back to the office will not be an easy task. Some of your staff can’t wait to get back to the office full-time, some will still be afraid of Covid, some will have children whose school is still virtual and/or no summer camp, and some may have decided they only want to work remotely. Should you require that all staff get vaccinated before they can return to the office? How should you handle a mixture of vaccinated and unvaccinated staff if you do not require a vaccine? What are the CDC guidelines for Covid workplace protocols I need follow? How you accommodate these variables and at the same time move your business forward and keep your staff happy will require a team effort?
Before you reopen, consider reimagining your office space
After you decide on how your staff will operate, you need think about how to reimagine your office space. The US Chamber of Commerce released reopening guidelines for businesses, and many of the suggestions centered around safe gathering areas and social distancing. For example, you may want to consider removing your reception and common-area seating so people aren’t encouraged to congregate unnecessarily, as well as reconfiguring employee workstations to preserve physical distancing recommendations and reduce the necessity of employees having to face one another. On that note, if they must be positioned face to face, consider adding transparent partitions.
Further, you may wish to encourage in-office virtual meetings if more than 10 people and limit necessary in-person meetings to 10 people or fewer. To keep these in-person meetings brief and on point, be sure to generate and distribute agendas in advance, and stick to them.
Consider, too, that you may not even need as much office space as before—or you may not want to use the space you have in the same way. That’s because some form of a hybrid workplace is going to be the new norm, with some employees dividing their time between remote and office-based hours. For example, you may want to convert formerly private desks into public, reservable workstations. You could reimagine conference areas as “huddle” spaces for fewer people, with top-notch video-conferencing capabilities in place to connect in-office and remote workers. These options should be part of a larger conversation about how you (and your employees) envision your future workplace.
Make employee health a priority
Keeping your staff healthy, happy and productive should always be a priority. But during and after a pandemic, it should be at the very top of your list. Not only is it the right thing to do, but according to recent research, a whopping 90% of consumers decide which brands to use by assessing the health and financial security of those brands’ employees. As Forbes put it: “This pandemic has shone a spotlight on the way that companies treat their employees. Anyone who is caught not supplying their workers with completely safe conditions or is seen as not doing enough for their well-being could be quickly publicly shunned.” Forbes goes on to point out that the effects of this public scrutiny can last for years.
Increase your communication
One of the most important factors in a seamless transition to “normal” operations is good communication. In addition to following CDC guidelines for Covid workplace protocols and exposure alerts, you’ll want to ensure you provide a supportive environment for your workers so they feel safe, comfortable and part of a community of people who are all in it together. Consider checking in with town halls to discuss return-to-work protocols Forbes suggests encouraging employees to sign a “Covid commitment pledge” to publicly commit to following safety protocols at work and in the community. And executives should be sure to sign it, too. Which brings us to the next tip…
Lead by example
The entire C-suite, as well as other executives and managers, should be leading the charge in making the workplace a safe and productive place to be. In addition to following CDC guidelines, leaders should be extra available, transparent and understanding with their staff members during this time. They should also be up to date on the latest Covid research and be willing to answer questions to the best of their knowledge and ability. A successful return to work will begin at the top.
There will be many considerations to address as we look ahead to the future of our workplaces. But with a little help from each other and our communities, I know that we’ll achieve great things together.
