How can I encourage employees to return to the workplace work

As we move to the final steps in the Government’s easing of the Covid19 lockdown restrictions, many businesses are starting to think about how they might tackle the tricky business of encouraging their staff to return to the office.

Although the pandemic has forced most companies to rethink the way they structure their teams – and for many that has meant some sort of digital transformation to create a virtual working environment – others need to have people back in real buildings.

But even though we probably all feel an instinctive desire to see and interact with people outside our immediate family after such a long time in isolation, the prospect of returning to a workplace full of people we we’ve only seen on camera for a year is daunting for many.

In part that’s because we have no way of accounting for the movements of those people or the infection risks they might have exposed themselves to.

Additionally, there is still a lot we don’t know about how effective the vaccination programme has been at stopping infection or, indeed, how effective it will be in halting transmission in the future in prevent.

All of these things can add up to a distinct sense of unease as people and businesses contemplate how they might be reunited in the coming weeks and months.

At present the government advice to work from home wherever possible is still in force and is expected to stay in force until June. But what can you do to instil confidence in your teams and encourage them to come back to work once those restrictions are lifted?

Assess the need for a return to the workplace

I think there are three simple tests that all businesses need to apply – and pass – in order to prioritise the return of their people to the workplace.

1. Is it essential? Does the profitability and commercial good health of your company depend largely on people being in the workplace? If not, or if being at work is desirable rather than necessary, how flexible should you continue to be?

2. Is it sufficiently safe? What cleaning and hygiene protocols are in place? Are you able to respect an individual’s preference to be socially distanced? If there is limited space, are you able to apply flexible working to control the numbers of people in work on any given day?

3. Is it mutually agreeable? Different people feel differently about returning to the workplace. You may have vulnerable staff who will understandably want reassurance. There will need to be flexibility – on both sides – to ensure everyone is happy with the arrangement.

Carry out a risk assessment

Most businesses will have followed some form of Coronavirus risk assessment in the last year, either to inform a decision to move all their staff to remote working or to triage those who needed to be at work for the continued viability of the company versus those whose physical presence wasn’t necessary.

Carrying out a robust risk assessment prior to making any decision about a return to work, and then making sure your teams have access to the process, conclusions and your decision will go a long way to reassuring your employees that you are mindful of the reservations people might have and have taken the right steps to identify risks.

PPE equipment

It’s almost inevitable that freely-available personal protective equipment available – hand sanitiser, for example – will become a standard feature of the workplaces of the future. Making sure you’ve taken all possible steps to keep your teams safe will be appreciated by them and reflect well on you as an employer.

Offer structured support

Bear in mind that some of your staff may have faced unprecedented difficulties or challenges during their time away from work. The impact of Covid-19 hasn’t just been physical but also psychological.

You may have employees who have been ill themselves or suffered a bereavement as a direct result of the virus, or who have struggled with financial difficulties.

As a responsible employer the pastoral support you offer will be as vital to the ongoing wellbeing of staff as the practical solutions you put in place to keep them safe.

Foster inclusivity

The nature of the pandemic has had an uneven effect across workforces. Some staff may have been working throughout the last year, others may have been furloughed on 80% pay, and still more may have been in receipt of 100% of their pay though not required to work at all.

It’s inevitable that your teams will be interested in the experiences of others and if you do have staff whose experiences have differed you may need to invest time and money in rebuilding a culture of inclusivity and goodwill.

In the end a return to the workplace after the events of the last year puts us all in uncharted waters.

The most important thing to remember as an employer looking to re-integrate people into the workplace is to be sensitive to the experiences and needs of your teams, to be compassionate in how you hear their concerns and to be seen to be taking a responsible approach to managing future risk.

If you’d like to know more about how Constantia Consulting can help you to plan for the return of your employees to the workplace, please contact us for an informal chat.