Business
How to manage the transition back into office working
By Nic Redfern, Finance Director, KnowYourMoney.co.uk
The vast majority of offices across the UK have been closed since late March. Only key workers anda, in more recent weeks, those who cannot work remotely have been able to travel to their usual place of work.
However, the Government’s lockdown measures are steadily being relaxed. As this happens, more organisations will begin planning a return to the workplace; it is going to be prevalent topic on Zoom calls in the coming weeks.
One can safely assume, however, that it will be a long time before businesses have all their staff back in the office five days a week. In fact, many are predicting that the “new normal” will see an end to our usual 9-5 office-based jobs, with flexible and remote working becoming far more normal.
Many employees will demand this new normal, having had a taste of life without the pains of commuting and office life. Meanwhile, businesses might seize the opportunity to downsize their commercial premises while maintaining or even boosting their staff’s productivity.
Nevertheless, a return to the office is – in one form or another – inevitable for most companies in the second half of the year. This transition will present significant challenges; many that cannot and should not be taken lightly.
Is your office safe for employees?
The safety of employees must be the absolute priority for businesses as they consider re-opening their offices. No business should ask its staff to return to the office until the necessary steps have been taken to make the risk of anyone catching or spreading COVID-19 as low as possible.
This will require many practical steps to be taken. Indeed, the Government has released its safe working guidance to help employers.
In most instances, organisations (unless they are fortunate enough to have a very spacious office) will need to undertake a physical restructuring of their premises. Many will likely need to remove desks, chairs and storage units, while the layout of the space may also need to be revised.
Businesses should also consider investing in other equipment to protect employees. For example, they might need to install screens between desks, hand sanitiser pumps and clear demarcation on floors to help people keep their distance from one another.
Shared offices and co-working spaces have already been eager to reassure their occupants that their cleaning efforts have been ramped up significantly. For businesses that are responsible for organising or carrying out their own cleaning it is essential that they are diligent in conducting regular deep cleans of the office. Staff must also be educated in health and safety best practices, such as staying away from the office if they feel unwell or regularly washing their hands while at work.
Who to bring back to the office and when
Deciding the timeline for the transition back into the office might also be complicated. Some businesses might be waiting for further government instruction before acting, while others will form their own plan of action.
How many employees should be invited back into the workplace at any one time will depend on the size and layout of the space. The challenge will be understanding which members of staff ought to be in at the same time.
Smaller teams within the business – marketing, finance or sales, for example – ought to be kept together to maximise the value of them being back in the office. After all, the return to the office is primarily a way of increasing the ease of collaboration and allowing certain tasks to be completed more effectively than when all employees are working remotely.
Managing employees’ concerns
Leaving to one side the practical and strategic considerations, employers must also be mindful of how they tackle the subject with their staff.
For example, a recent survey of more than 2,000 UK adults commissioned by KnowYourMoney.co.uk revealed that exactly half (50%) are anxious about social distancing measures being relaxed. Further anecdotal evidence certainly suggests that many people are non-plussed about the prospect of returning to the office.
After months of largely avoiding public spaces – and certainly indoor spaces – the prospect of crowded buses, trains, streets and offices is understandably daunting.
It is vital that businesses recognise and respect these concerns. Simply telling employees to come back to the office without first taking the time to establish how they feel about it would be unwise.
Ultimately, employers have to strike the right balance. Perhaps starting with just one or two days a week in the office or allowing people to work flexible times to avoid rush hour would make the transition easier. In fact, as a long-term consideration, many businesses might embrace remote-working and tell employees that they must only be in the office for specific times or events.
Whatever strategy is chosen, it will require careful thought. People’s safety is at risk, while there are very real anxieties about the prospect of offices re-opening. Speaking to staff and taking a considered approach would be prudent in the weeks ahead.
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