It’s been a difficult two years. To keep ourselves and others safe we’ve been isolating and distancing ourselves from friends, family, and colleagues. It seems though, that perhaps the end may be in sight. The hospitality sector is reopening and there is a palpable sense of optimism in the air (though the slightly brighter days and warmer weather may also be helping here).
As of this week businesses in both the UK and Ireland can begin to bring their staff back into the office. Many are looking forward to seeing their colleagues in person, but also remain somewhat hesitant to return to the office, not only due to the requirement for more professional attire (let’s not lie; many of us spent lockdown looking professional for meetings from the waist up only!)
So, what is the best approach that employers can take to return their staff to the office as safely as possible?
We cannot simply open the floodgates and circle a date in the diary for ‘Everyone to be Back’. We need to plan how we will safely return our staff to collaborative workspaces in a way that is both considerate and effective.
We need to be responsible for staff health and take responsibility for the spaces they occupy. Is it safe? How do you know? What has been implemented to improve working environments?
Numerous studies have shown that Covid transmission is primarily airborne, and that good ventilation is the most effective method of reducing Covid risk indoors. To assess ventilation, government and health bodies recommend CO2 monitoring. Let’s say that you’ve already gotten CO2 monitoring in place, well then your next decision is how and when to bring staff back into the office.
Abrupt Vs Phased Approach
If we get everyone back into work within a single wave, we are almost certainly going to create issues around healthy and safe air quality. With the full workforce suddenly returning to the office there is a strong possibility of having to row back on the capacity of our workspaces, seeing increased sickness and absenteeism, and even having to send people back home again – ultimately, making employees more anxious, confused, and annoyed.
A phased approach on the other hand looks like this:
(until ‘Optimal Capacity vs Continued Safe Air Quality Levels’ is reached)
Let Data Drive Decision Making
Everyone likes to believe that important decisions are made based on hard data and not gut-feel or populist sentiment. In reality, most decisions are a combination of both, but what is critical is that the emotional aspect of the decision is based on hard data.
Anxiety & Fears are Real
Employees have spent years now in their own homes – working and living. Some employees have never physically met each other. Many have deeply embedded routines now – some good, some bad. But breaking routines and changing habits is never easy and returning to the office is a big upheaval. We need to be aware of this and appreciate that the pandemic has had wide-ranging impacts on the global workforce – from anxiety to sickness and even loss of life, in some cases. We need the supports in place to make the transition (again!) to another phase of working – be that coming back to the office full-time, hybrid working, or remaining at home for that bit longer. Everyone likes to feel cared for and of importance to the company they work for. Gathering working conditions data, communicating this to staff and letting the data drive your future actions, will be appreciated by all and allow businesses to put a process in place for those coming back to the workplace.
