With life tentatively returning to normal, many businesses will be bringing staff back into the office at least on a part-time basis. This can bring many benefits to the company and for staff as well, but it is important to understand that it will not simply be a case of back to normal, and people are still cautious as the pandemic continues. As a business owner, you will want to do all that you can to reassure staff and protect their health when bringing them back into work. With this in mind, read on for a few tips that will hopefully help.
Communicate
Without a doubt, the most important step to take when bringing staff back into work is communication. This is a strange and unique time, and it is vital that staff feel that they can communicate with you and raise any concerns. Keep people updated on the plans and encourage them to come forward if they have problems, questions, or ideas.
Offer Flexibility
It is also smart to offer flexibility when it comes to returning to the office. In the beginning, you may want to give people the choice of when they come in and allow them to continue working remotely with a hybrid model. The situation still needs to be taken very seriously, and there will be those that are vulnerable/living with people that are vulnerable, so you need to be understanding and give people flexibility.
Make Sure People Can Socially Distance
Social distancing remains one of the best ways to prevent transmission and not just for COVID-19 (it is thought that this could be a very bad flu season). Making sure that employees can remain apart is vital for protecting their health and for making them feel comfortable, so you may want to rearrange the office and ensure that not everyone is in at the same time. Scheduling so that the office is only ever half full could make a big difference.
Use Commercial Cleaning Services
Keeping the office clean and hygienic is another vital part of protecting your employees and, again, not just from COVID-19. You will want to use the services of an experienced cleaning company that can provide a specialist service to disinfect the entire office, and you can find commercial cleaning services that can provide medical-grade cleaning.
Limit Contact
When people are working in the office, it is also smart to try and limit the contact that they have with others. Obviously, it is important that people can communicate, but you should try to limit collaboration and ensure that people stay at their desks for the day. As remote work has proven, collaboration and communication is possible with tools and technology, so these should continue to be used even in the office.
Hopefully, this post will help you to get ready to bring staff back safely into the office. It is essential that you are cautious and intelligent when bringing staff back and do all that you can to ensure that people feel safe and comfortable.
