The ultimate guide to post-COVID work life
Over the last year we’ve experienced unprecedented challenges, affecting every aspect of our lives from personal to professional. Along with these challenges came some huge, sudden changes - from the way we interact with others, to the way businesses operate, things began to look very different, very quickly.
However, with vaccination programmes now being rolled out and the possibility of things returning to something resembling normality within a matter of months, many of those who have been working from home full-time are now faced with a new challenge - what does the professional world look like now, and how should we be operating? Should we be returning to offices, or has the pandemic had a permanent impact on the way we run organizations? The truth is, it probably depends on your business, and how your employees feel. Here is our ultimate guide to ensuring a safe, comfortable environment for your staff - whatever your new ‘normal’ looks like.
1. Full-time office
For some organisations, full-time office life is a necessity, and working from home has been a hindrance. Others feel that having staff in the office the majority of the time inspires a more collaborative environment. Whatever your reasoning, there are a few considerations that should be taken into account when reintroducing staff to office life.
Develop a strong ‘return to work’ plan
Assess the readiness of your team, and have a clear understanding of any personal circumstances each of your employees might have. Consider employee surveys to gather this information, and base your plan around these. Another important factor to take into consideration is that of governmental guidelines. Ensure you have an up-to-date understanding of these so you’re able to factor in any precautions that might be necessary. Finally, use this information to document the measures and procedures you’d like to implement for your plan. Depending on the nature of your business, it could be the case that hybrid working becomes the norm for your organisation, combining working from home with a few days in the office. If this is true, it’s important to have the right infrastructure in place to support this, including software that will allow employees to view office availability and book desk space.
Communicate with your employees
Be sure to communicate your return-to-work plan, emphasising the importance of safety, and if there are any changes or updates, ensure your employees are aware of these as soon as possible. Be specific and clear about your policies, and most importantly, listen to the response from your employees. Create a space where staff are able to have meaningful conversations about returning to the office, voicing any concerns they have, and provide solutions where possible.
Rework your office space creatively
Transforming offices will be a necessity for many organisations. However, rather than adjusting the existing footprint incrementally, it could be worth taking a fresh look out how your space is utilised. Focus on the purpose of each area, and what the outcome is intended to be. Could desks become hot desks? Could you maximise on shared sections of the office and move desks to fill these? How might government rules be accommodated? Providing a safe and comfortable office to work in is of utmost importance, but consider what the future will also look like. Are you planning for staff to return to work full time? Have you conducted a survey to get their opinions on this? It’s far more likely that the future of office-based work is going to have more of a ‘hybrid’ look moving forward, so the idea of staff sat side-by-side, staring at computer screens for eight hours a day could become a thing of the past.
Think of the office as a space for employees to convene and reconnect with one another. It’s a collaborative space that should promote productivity, so the look and feel of it should be reflective of this.
2. Hybrid system
For a lot of organisations, the pandemic has demonstrated that working from home has actually benefited their employees and business as a whole, however it just might not be feasible to remove the office altogether. For that reason they’re looking at a hybrid system, whereby office-space becomes bookable and staff can come and go as they please. But what exactly would that entail?
At MahiMarkets, we’ve always believed our employees know what works best for them. Whether that’s working remotely part of the time, or being in the office full time, the decision of how to structure their day has always been down to them. This is something we plan to continue post-pandemic, including staff working from home full time if that is their preference.
Regular in-person meetings
Consider a monthly meeting at headquarters with colleagues at a shared location to keep up morale and complete any tasks that require a full team in-office. This proposition could be a great solution for those who still have concerns about regularly being in the office, whilst still addressing the need for the occasional in-person meeting, if that is something your nature of business requires.
Communication
As with the fully remote option, strong communication is essential when offering a hybrid system. Consider having a selection of channels for different purposes. We find that having departmental threads helps teams to collaborate, whilst having fun threads for all your GIF, joke, and pub chat needs keeps things light and team relationships strong.
The key to successfully returning to post-pandemic life?
One of the biggest concerns that organisations are now facing is how the last year has affected staff socially. Will continuing to work from home impact their ability to interact with each other? What about promotions, how will aspiring managers understand how to successfully manage a team without having the face-to-face human interaction that’s required? Understanding the long-term implications is key to deciding the future of your business’s work life.
Regardless of what’s best for your business and employees, it’s no surprise that everyone’s favourite buzzword is back - ‘flexibility’ is set to be one of the most important concepts we look at when reintroducing our staff to the office. Ensuring we maintain the flexibility we pride ourselves on is a top priority, whether that means employees continuing to work from home full time, adjusting work hours to suit their needs, or any other requirement they might need.
