Unfortunately, free coffee and COVID-19 vaccines are not going to eliminate employee’s anxiety about going back to work. As tempting as it is to turn those light switches on and have everyone return to business as usual, it may not be the best plan in terms of employee performance.
To ensure your staff feels confident and motivated in their return to the office, you need to be transparent about your expectations for reopening procedures in this new reality.
Ensuring that your employees feel heard is the first step in a successful transition back to the office. Employees who have concerns they don’t feel comfortable expressing, will end up fostering a negative workplace environment – and this could be detrimental to productivity levels. Therefore, communication is key in this instance and can set anxious employees at ease.
It is important for managers to create a space where colleagues feel safe coming forward and communicate any troubles they may be experiencing, especially if they feel overwhelming concern at the thought of returning. A simple way to do this is by sending an email to all employees reminding them you are open to discuss any concerns they have about returning to the office. You may also send out an anonymous survey to accommodate people who would prefer to address their concerns unnamed.
Try to send this email with as much advance notice as you can. If you send the email the day before or even a few days before the expected return to office date, this could deter them from coming forward at all. Whereas if you give them a grace period, it will show them that you value their time and opinions.
Creating an environment where conversation flows freely will make employees feel more comfortable right off the bat and help them get excited about going back to work.
Asking coworkers to come in all at once to a regular 5 day-a-week schedule may be overwhelming. Consider integrating employees back slowly with a gradual approach so they have time to adjust to the changes of full time office work. You can even ask individual employees how many days a week they feel comfortable going in for and what amount of people they want in the office at once.
There are a few different workplace models you can follow and tailor to fit the needs of your business.
One example is grouping employees based on work tasks. Maybe you have a certain team that needs to work together, so you can have that team returning to the office on select days of the week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), while you have other groups come in on the remaining days (Tuesday, Thursday). Many employers are using this hybrid work model approach.
If one team has a big project that requires more time, you can have only that team return to the office while the rest of the employees stay home for a couple of weeks (or whenever that project is complete).
Either way, your integration process should be flexible and mindful of the needs of employees, and what is best for business. Therefore, consider the advantages and disadvantages to full time office work and the hybrid approach before deciding on one.
Each province has their own health and safety guidelines. As an employer it is your responsibility to ensure that you and your staff are following your province's regulations to maintain a safe environment as you return to the office.
Some precautions you can take – as outlined by the Canadian Government website – include:
Work with building operators or consult a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) professional to:
Additional safety measures you can take are to make sure commonly used surfaces are constantly disinfected, encourage frequent hand washing, implement social distancing when possible, and ensure that employees know to stay home when feeling unwell.
Providing mental health resources and support will create a smoother transition for employees returning to work after covid. It will help in fostering a healthier work space where people feel comfortable and confident going into work.
BounceBack is a free program from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CAMH) that will help people build the skills they need to improve their mental health. Be proactive- communicate with employees and provide them with the professional support they need to succeed when coming back to the office.
As an employer you can certainly do your part in looking after your employees, but you can only do so much in terms of taking care of their mental health. So in sensitive situations – such as returning to work after COVID-19 – the best way to help is to provide professional resources and support that will maintain a motivated team.
It is unsettling to feel like you have no idea what is expected of you in terms of company scheduling on a weekly basis. Working without a routine makes it difficult to plan around non-work related events. And as a healthy work life balance is essential to a person’s well being, it is important for employees to be able to create a reliable schedule where they can balance between work in offices and personal and family matters.
Establishing a predetermined schedule for returning to the office will allow employees to manage their time so they can productively accomplish tasks with limited stress. This is especially true for workers as they re-acclimate to the commute to and from the office.
Returning to office life after COVID-19 will be challenging, and of course it may take some time to establish a working schedule. However, the quicker your team can get into established routines that work for them, the quicker you can start streamlining your work process.
Everyone will have different needs, so it is important to stay open minded and communicate with colleagues and employees. Address their anxiety and uncertain expectations with understanding. Some people may find the return to the office after COVID-19 easy, and some may only start feeling stressed after a month of work.
Getting used to a new way of life is difficult and will come with various ups and downs. Being compassionate is the best way to ensure all employees are confident and motivated to return to the office. Being open-minded about the transition benefits everyone involved.
The return to work process can take some getting used to, as there could be a few kinks along the way. Therefore when it comes to your financial software, you need something reliable to ensure your finances are taken care of while you deal with other tasks. QuickBooks Online will streamline your financial needs with automated processes and insightful reports so you have less to worry about. Try it today.
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