Addressing fears about returning to the workplace

With government constraints and COVID-19-related home-stay orders being relaxed; we are now faced with how to get workers back to work. What's going to happen to the post-COVID-19 workplace? What would it look like when workers will re-enter their organizations? Issues of this kind are widely debated and regarded. There is also more uncertainty and vital emotion for managers to address: employee fear. Dealing with the COVID-19 virus is by far the most recent challenge, causing businesses to adjust human resources practices, job processes, and the way they conduct business in many situations. When workers return to work, they assume that the infection will be detected and that the benefits will be diminished as a result of company finances. Fix COVID-19 and employee fear of coming to the workplace on an individual basis as required. For some, returning to work means a welcoming return to normalcy; for others, it is incredibly stressful. Act in a reasonable capacity and, where possible, make concessions. The greatest challenge for management will be to consider and resolve the psychological and emotional wellbeing of their workers as employees continue to return to their workplaces.

Businesses need to be constructive, strategic, and reflective with a view to building a community of assurance, trust, and stability in the midst of uncertainty and terror. For businesses willing to get workers back home, a blended schedule, and a gradual return to work is a big compromise. Management must define tasks that involve the employee's physical presence in the office and other duties that the employee can perform remotely without loss of performance. After this has been decided, the employer will adopt a level of flexibility that does not harm its vested interests. Employees with apprehension about a fast return will continue working from home, whereas those ready to get back to their routine will happily come to work. There are several ways to stagger a return to home-based work based on the versatility of your work environment:

?       Return one unit at a period over a multi-week time frame

?       Designing and implementing a hybrid work schedule — 3 days remote vs. 2 days in-house, or the like

?       Scaling up potential via a hybrid timeline, adding another in-house day every week.

?       Schedule shifts or implement splits between the first and second shifts to minimize stress at work

Organizations also need to realize that they can't manage people's concerns but can support them. Flexibility and acknowledgement of employees' anxieties and fears is key for employee satisfaction. All throughout this phase, firms need to have clear communication through the achievement of employee confidence. Training the workforce is a crucial responsibility for any organisation now. People should be made to know exactly what to expect and when to expect which will avoid overall anxiety. Before asking employees to return to the workplace, proper notice should be provided regarding all the SOPs. Such coordination will not only allow workers to understand all the safeguards placed in place to establish a safe place of work for their return to work, but will also allow, when combined with uniform implementation, to prevent assertions of discrimination by workers. It will allow them to make suitable plans for conditions such as childcare. Employers should support workers who seek changed schedules, flexible working or time off work due to underlying health issues that can place them at increased danger during that time. Organizations must seek to regularly respond to employees to help resolve any additional questions they have about going back to work in ways such as conducting surveys to further facilitate feedback, and then evaluate the findings to assess if these questions have already been resolved or whether further action is required. Employers should regularly obtain input from workers and then spend time to reply to employee concerns and open issues.

Times are difficult for all, and maintaining good employee productivity is essential to longevity and efficiency; going beyond the minimum standards will bring significant returns than the costs and time involved with them. Organized, planned return to work would achieve the desired results. Organizations must not just open their workplaces and expect things to go back to normal. They must make it clear about the company’s operational plan and carry out that plan with an air of faith and intent. The smoother the change, the better the outcome.