3 Tips on Planning your Return to the Office

As states contemplate reopening as COVID-19 dissipates and start their initial phases, many companies are faced with the challenges of planning for their employees to come back to work. This planning is multi-faceted and depending on your type of business, type of office space, business processes and local health guidance/restrictions it can be daunting to complete. Below are some tips to consider as you work through this planning.

1. Put Employees First - For most businesses their employees are their most valuable asset. Put provisions in place to protect them and give confidence that they can safely return to work. Consider what scenarios may arise in relation to employee wellness and prepare for the questions that will be asked along with the actions that need to be taken. Think about a phased approach. What work must be done in the office? Can some work continue to take place outside the office?
2. Rethink your Office Landscape - It's likely that their will be social distancing issues to address in many workplaces; most critically where multiple employees work in a common area or office. Think about panels, barriers and partitions that could be put in place to provide more physical separation. You may also wish to consider what the maximum capacity for a room, office or work area is. Even elevators and bathrooms!
3. Consider Time-Shifting - The potential capacity of your office might be lower now due to social distancing needs. As such, maybe staff can continue to work from home some and alternate days in order to limit the number of staff in the office. This would be especially important for areas within an open office design. Another consideration would be working in shifts throughout the day. This could be advantageous for staff that perform varying types of work in multiple areas.

If you haven't already, form that committee to establish the guidelines and game plan the scenarios for returning to the office. Share the plan with your staff in advance and welcome feedback. Your employees know their jobs and work environment and can contribute thoughts and ideas that should be considered. Working together will yield the best results and prevent unplanned issues from arising.

Gary Hoke

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