The days of everybody working from home seem to be coming to an end. Lately, many companies are calling their remote workers back to the office. They feel that work productivity took a hit and it’s better for business if people come back to a traditional setting.
Whatever the reason for the call to return, there needs to be some preparation done. There will be many things that need to be put into place to make sure the transition goes smoothly. For instance, you may need to have the office organized differently with dividers to keep teams separate. Custom etched glass window film will keep it looking professional. In this article, we will go over several more steps to take to bring employees back into the office.
1 – Be accommodating
There is a new normal that has to be considered. The last couple of years changed everything and returning to the office is not a return to doing things the way they were done before the pandemic.
This means that you are going to have to be very accommodating to the needs of the employees. There are many ways that this could manifest itself. For instance, some are not prepared to work full-time in the office again. Offer them a hybrid system in which they can work from home on some days while for certain tasks to be done they need to come back.
They may also need to have a different schedule so that you don’t have a packed office with all the employees. See about offering different times to come in and leave. Some can come early and leave early and others can come late and leave late.
2 – Give them mental health help
Many of the people that work for you likely experienced some trauma during the course of the pandemic. Some lost loved ones. Others may have gotten Covid and are afraid to get sick again.
Whatever the reasons, they are in a fragile state, and pushing them too hard may end up detrimental to their mental health. It’s your responsibility to make sure that they are able to work safely and in a positive atmosphere. Give people time off if they are feeling stressed. Offer insurance that has robust mental health coverage if they need to talk to therapists.
3 – Do a test run
Instead of giving ultimatums and expecting everybody to fall in line right away, look into easing people back into the office by doing a sort of test run. This means that you start out asking people to come in once per week. On that one day you allow people to see how long it will take them to get to work since the way the commute went earlier may not be the case now.
You’ll also be able to see how the office functions with an eye on what needs to be improved. It’s also a chance to see how everyone’s devices will work at the office.
