I’m sure you’re tired of hearing about the “new normal”. I think the reality of a change in office culture after Covid-19 and trying to future proof against different unknown scenarios is what I am tired of. Contingency planning for months is exhausting! As organizations start to look towards moving currently remote employees back to the office in different forms, staff anxiety is going to go up. How is work going to keep us safe? What if one of my family members gets sick? Here is how to prepare and support staff for transitioning back to the office.
There are two facets to employee safety to consider: their physical well-being and their mental health.
Attention to mental health and recognizing the importance of it for employee overall health has gained acceptance. I imagine that if a pandemic occurred 10 years ago, we would not be having the same types of discussions about the seriousness of mental health.
The reason that I bring up these two facets, is because they will both need to be equally addressed with your team for you to have effective messaging and a plan that they can feel confident in.
The reality of change in office culture after Covid-19
It would be naive to assume that once people are back in the office, that the previous office culture will pick right back up where it left off. Remember, we have not been sitting at home twiddling our thumbs. We have started a new work culture in virtual teams and have adapted to that new environment.
Do not be surprised if people are still happier to meet virtually at their desks rather than face to face. I have loved the share screen feature and have utilized it a lot when brainstorming or team editing.
Decreased employee engagement
Employee engagement is likely also going to hit a slump. Minds are elsewhere right now. Thinking of the impact on their savings accounts, their family members or friends who are sick or have lost their income.
They may be disengaged from their work because “what does it matter in the grand scheme of things?”. When their world is crumbling around them, what does that latest slide deck for a client really matter?
Maintain your positivity, but do not over-do it. Make sure your messaging is that “we can do this” but read the room and make sure it is not over the top. You will seem completely out of touch if you oversell the positivity right now.
If you can, try to connect their work with tangible impact on the outside world. Bonus if it is towards healthcare workers or struggling industries. Examples of positive impact messages:
“We are helping people with their finances so that people can stay in their homes during this difficult time.”
“We are helping to manufacture boxes so that items can be shipped to those who need it”
“We are supporting the community with X during this difficult time”
If you are really struggling to come up with an impact, have the company sponsor a community charity. Actively support a food bank or meals for healthcare workers. Highlight the positive impact that company donations and support are having on your community.
How To Prepare and Support Staff For Transitioning Back To The Office
Since there is going to be a change in office culture after Covid-19, your staff are going to be nervous returning and its not going to feel the same anymore. You need to help support both their physical and mental health in navigating this “new normal”.
How to support physical health transitioning back to office
1. Prepare the environment
Alright, try to follow the recommendations of your local health authority. Common recommendations are to limit shared items between associates, additional cleaning, and physically distance and/or masking. Don’t just think about distancing work space, also think about safety in shared spaces such as break rooms, elevators, or just coming in and out of the building.
2. Continuation of work from home opportunities
While you are planning for how to prepare and support staff for transitioning back to the office, ensure that you are not just feeding in to the ‘ass in seats’ culture. This is where the total amount of time that someone is at their desk working is valued over the quality of content provided.
See what work can be done at home and what really needs to be done in the office. Despite safety considerations you make to the work environment, people may feel safer to stay home. A mix of different days of the week to come in to the office may be a compromise that keeps employees happy.
This could be to your benefit too. A healthy worker at home is likely more productive than someone who is off sick for weeks because you were so sure that they had to be in the office to produce work.
How to support mental health transitioning back to office
Earlier this year, the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK estimated that it lost 165,000 working days for its healthcare workers due mental health due to the sustained stress over the last few months.
While this may not be your industry, it still applies. If a nurse in the UK cannot go in to work because they are too stressed, knowing that they have meaningful work on the other end – what does that mean for your work?
By supporting mental health for staff transitioning back to the office, you are decreasing lost time and have a work force that it more comfortable being back.
3. The expectation of flexibility
Staff have gotten used to having some flexibility once they have worked at home. This may be child care arrangements, taking care of family members, or the hours that they are performing work related tasks.
People will value an employer who will give them some flexibility if things suddenly change.
Encourage staff to let you know what they need from you as a leader. If a staff member does approach you for flexibility, don’t rush to find a solution, ask them what they need from you.
4. Have meaningful work for the staff to work on
As mentioned earlier, it will help if the staff feel like they are working on something meaningful. Modify existing projects, or create new opportunities to support the community.
If you do not work directly in an industry that is adjacent to supporting pandemic efforts, try to dedicate some time for staff to work on fundraising efforts for something meaningful. Ensure that you have staff engagement on what charity or events they would like to support.
5. Make sure you are present and ready to support
Ensure that you are a (socially distanced) but visible leader. Your team needs to see you right now and your leadership reputation would never recover if you required staff to be back in the office and you were hiding out behind the closed door of your office. Read about all of the ways that you can demonstrate great leadership during a crisis.
When it comes to how to prepare and support staff for transitioning back to the office, flexibility and your leadership support is paramount. Use your local health recommendations to keep your staff physically safe and do not forget to support employee’s mental health. They are scared, and people will remember how you helped – or didn’t help – during these difficult times.