Editor’s note: This column was written before news broke about the discovery of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Omicron’s mutations could make it more transmissible, according to news reports.
WITH vaccination rates up and the relaxing of the quarantine restrictions, several organizations have announced the return of their work force to the offices. Organizations face three setups as a continuing effect of the pandemic: maintain the remote working arrangement, adopt a hybrid setup of staggered schedule for onsite and remote work, or ask all their employees to go back to the workplace. These setups have their own benefits and disadvantages so organizations need to carefully consider which one to adopt and how these will impact productivity while keeping their employees safe and healthy.
Whatever setup organizations use, they will face several challenges considering that new conditions have made it difficult for Human Resources to track productivity and maintain engagement. Moreso when Covid-fatigued employees start going back to the offices and compare their working conditions with others from a similar industry. Employees are also considering leaving their work altogether to find organizations that allow for remote working or even find other industries that allow for a work-from-home setup.
Others have ventured into small businesses and are planning to expand their consumer base and quitting their work to focus on their businesses. The remote working setup has allowed others to invest in their passions and have become their own boss, so much so that they are making more money than when they were employed. Add to this are the job seekers who are choosing organizations with either a remote or hybrid setup.
With these challenges and a work force that has seen the possibility and convenience of a remote working setup, organizations will have to work harder at minimizing employee’s health and safety concerns if they opt to choose either a hybrid or back-to-office setup.
To some, going back to their workspaces gives them a sense of normalcy and positivity, while to others it could be risky because of other health issues aside from Covid-19. Organizations need to consider not just the physical health concerns of their employees but also their mental health. Peer support groups and counselling services can help employees manage their anxiety and cope with the new working conditions, and these also can become a venue where the organization can keep track of the common concerns of their employees.
It goes without saying that you need to keep the workspaces clean and safe for everyone. Provide adequate ventilation and limit face-to-face interactions as much as possible. If the workspace does not allow for enough safe distance, deliberately consider adopting a staggered schedule so employees can have enough space to distance themselves from one another. Or you can look at unused spaces like conference rooms which could be converted into working spaces. Organizations will be hard-pressed to come up with creative solutions to ensure a safe work environment.
Listen to your employees and then weigh their feedback against business objectives. While it is true that you are running an organization that has goals and targets, at the end of the day it is run by people. What you do after the pandemic subsides will dictate the culture you want to permeate throughout the organization. As people managers, you need to be decisive and clear in making your people understand what needs to be done, but at the same time empathetic and mindful of their concerns. There has to be healthy dialogue between the management and employees to understand where there can be concessions without compromising organizational goals and targets.
People managers need to understand that work dynamics have changed and there is a need to address these changes gradually. In implementing office policies, managers need to keep their ear on the ground for their people’s sentiments especially revolving around their health and safety. Not everyone will be as comfortable mingling with others as before, or even meeting with people they have only seen online. Allow your team members to find their own pace but make it clear where the office needs to be at a specific time and make sure nobody gets left behind.
Slowly meet with people but maintain a safe distance. Just because everybody is in the office does not mean you should start setting meetings left and right. People have different levels of comfort when it comes to meeting people again face-to-face. Respect their boundaries and look for creative ways to meet without making others feel unsafe. With the improvements in virtual meeting platforms, online meetings would still be the better option. People need to be comfortable to produce the best output. It would be counterproductive to ask people to report to work when the workplace is not safe.
Focus on what you can control and influence. With everything that will happen when employees will be asked to report to work, focus on what you can do for your team members. It is important at this point to take one step at a time and focus on making your team feel safe while doing their work. Equip yourself on how to de-escalate tension and diffuse your team’s apprehensions. If it is a management decision or something you cannot change, then work with your team on what can be done. Involving your team makes it easier for implementing agreements and makes everyone accountable for their actions.
Employees need to feel and understand that their employers have their best interest at heart. It is a given that organizations always look at profit as the bottom line, but it should not be at the cost of their employees’ well-being and safety. When employees know and feel this, they will adopt whatever work setup their organization adopts.
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