What can you do to help employees returning to the office?

The government is encouraging workers to return to the office so now you have to support your employees as they manage this transition. Some people will be super excited, some may never have worked at home and wonder what the fuss is about but there will also be some people who feel anxious.

Hopefully, you will be able to give your team plenty of notice and be able to talk them through what to expect. You will need to complete a covid 19 risk assessment and implement steps that have been taken to make the workplace Covid safe such as signage, change in desk layout, one way systems, hand sanitiser, changes in breaks or meetings to prevent too many people being in the same place and staff may have to wear a mask depending on regulations and setting. You might want to suggest people about how to get to work if they don’t want to use public transport or choose a slightly different time to travel.it may look a bit different but hopefully your team will settle in quickly and you can be available to answer any fears or questions.

What if someone is worried about going back to the office?

Talk to them about their concerns, you may be able to explain what steps they have taken to make the workplace Covid secure, maybe a video tour of the office might be an option. Perhaps they could stagger working hrs move to a different area of the business or work flexibly including home working if that is an option.

Can an employee ask to work flexibly permanently?

There is always the option to ask about flexible working and you have to consider the request seriously. 1 positive outcome from the pandemic is that organisations are realising that many jobs can be done from home very successfully with the right support for employees. So, this has meant that organisations are now looking towards a flexible resourcing plan allowing working from home, the office or hybrid working practices. A flexible resourcing plan would be beneficial as it would prevent the same panic we faced last year when everyone was told to work from home.

Hopefully a few tips to help manage the return to the office, for more help or to ask a specific question please give us a call 01487 815720