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As we continue to transition out of lockdown, there are a lot of questions around what the future of the ‘workplace’ looks like. The pandemic has affected us all in different ways and it is only normal to feel uncertain about what the future holds.

Staff returning to the office after an extended period at home may feel confused, worried, and cautious about the changes happening around them. It is therefore now more important than ever for businesses to support their staff and facilitate a supportive, compassionate and positive experience within the workplace.

Some companies have undertaken surveys on employees returning to work and discovered a roughly equal spilt between really keen to return to work, fairly relaxed and going with the flow and finally apprehensive.

Below is a series of top tips to ensure your team’s transition back into the office, is a smooth one.

Connect with your team

Prior to going back into the office, ensure you keep in touch regularly with your team. This doesn’t mean you have to talk about work, but a quick check-in will help team members feel connected and valued, especially after a long period of remote working. Prioritise open communication and transparency, communicate the fact that you are keeping up to date with and follow Government guidelines as a minimum and go beyond where necessary.

Plan and prepare

Before staff return to work, make sure you have clearly informed your team on the provisions that have been made to create a safe work environment moving forward. Check they have everything they need to ensure their transition back into the office is a smooth one and that they can carry out their duties comfortably and safely. Have you asked them the following?

• How will they get to work?
• Do they require additional support?
• Are they comfortable with the safety measures in place? If not, what would make them feel more at ease?

Set realistic expectations

The way in which we all work is likely to keep changing going forward, so you will need to prepare staff to adapt quickly. Make sure you are honest and transparent with your team, although there is now light at the end of the tunnel, we still have a long journey ahead.

Old ways of working might well be behind us, avoid returning to how you operated before and staff should take this opportunity to do things differently, and better. Remember, change doesn’t have to be negative! Look out for yourself, look out for your team and take each day and week at a time.

Listen to the ideas of your employees

Allowing people time to come to terms with the new normal is important. As a business, a good way of doing this is by introducing a phased return where people aren’t expected to be in fully operational in an office straight away, but perhaps doing partial weeks still working from home while they become adjusted and begin to feel more comfortable. It won’t be suitable for all businesses, but for those where it is, it could have a much better chance of ensuring your employees are returning motivated and positive.

Empower employees to take ownership of the new rules and trust your employees

Managers have had the time to implement new approaches to managing employees, eliminating the need to physically watch employees’ every move. More companies are meeting employees where they’re at, giving them the flexibility to work on their own terms, as long as performance and objectives continue to be met.

Deal with demotivation

While many people can’t wait to get back into the office, others will have found they prefer working from home. Getting back into a routine, earlier alarms, the dreaded commutes and rigid hours will likely cause some level of work demotivation amongst your team.

If you can, try and be flexible with working hours for the first week or two, so staff can get used to getting back into a rigid routine. Encourage them to schedule their week and sketch out important to-dos that will help provide structure and make them feel like they have achieved something. Remind them to keep their expectations realistic or they may end up putting too much pressure on themselves.

Finally

It’s important to remember that everyone is finding their own path after a turbulent time and things might not always go to plan straight away, but that is fine and expected! This is a period of change for us all and it’s important to reassure employees that although the typical workplace as we know it may be different, this provides us all with an opportunity to analyse how we do things and in turn, do them better.

There’s no option of cutting corners, employers mustn’t shy away from their responsibilities. Any employer that brings employees back to work is responsible for the care of the individual during work hours and for any injuries that may result.

If you need help developing your approach to returning to work, or any of your particular business challenges, feel free to get in touch. Either contact me via the form below, book a convenient time in my calendar or call 0780 302 3705.