Tensions and opportunities around the return to the office
The government has published it roadmap for opening society including provision for how organisations can bring people back to workplaces, particularly offices from September onwards (many workplaces have remained open throughout most of the pandemic). Below I have set out what employers should be considering particularly small and medium sized organisations. There are potentially many tensions that exist or will emerge but there is also an opportunity to redesign some of the work practices to suit the business requirements and attract and retain high performers, writes Roger Dwan of Cube Consulting.
The immediate focus is to ensure you can you create a safe place of work and bring people back to the office in an organised way and in line with the return to work protocol.
There are a number of areas that need to be considered.
Some Considerations…
Does bringing unvaccinated people into to the same work environment create additional risk and what can you do to mitigate this, for instance by enquiring about someone’s vaccination status and potentially keeping those who are unvaccinated in a separate area or away from the office? At the moment guidance from the data protection commissioner indicates that employers shouldn't ask for for vaccine status and therefore there are limits on what can be taken in this regards.What do you do with people who are vulnerable or live with some who is vulnerable or are just very anxious about returning to work perhaps because they will need to take public transport etc. How much notice do you give people and do you do a phased return to work? What if someone is struggling to find childcare, this seems to be an issue in some areas for younger children particularly.
What about the longer term?
Have you considered your longer term perspective on what work can be done remotely once the pandemic has (hopefully!) moved on?
There has been much discussion around future working arrangements and how some companies will allow employees to work from anywhere and others will offer hybrid working possibly two or three days a week. There are many others who want people back in the office full time. Its important to decide what will suit your business best and structure your working arrangements accordingly, however consider that there may be new ways of working that will allow you to meet your goals that you haven’t fully considered. If this will suit your employees too this may be a win-win, leading to greater engagement and retention. Some areas to consider are:
• Remote working is different that flexible working so people may work part time hours or do flexitime or take period of family leave in addition to working from home.
• There is legislation covering the right to disconnect which includes, evenings, weekends etc. and there are people who prefer working outside of normal core hours and perhaps your teams working across different time zones so you need to find a system of working that takes all this into account
• Legislation is being developed around the right to request remote work which is expected later this year. It may be worth continuing with a short term approach of a phased return to the office and then looking at developing a longer term policy when it is clearer what obligations employers will have.
• Do you have the technology to allow effective remote working? It goes without saying that you need to ensure that those not working from the office are able to be connected to the rest of the team. Remote working hubs may assist in this regard in areas of poor broadband.
• How will you include those who aren’t in the office for meetings and other culture building activities? This is going to be a challenge for many companies and how you handle will depend on your individual circumstances.
• How will you build skills and train people? What about new starters, will they need to come to the office for their induction? It may be the case that at the start of employment people work from the office much more and then overtime can assess their working preferences with the company.
• Will you need to change contracts of employment? Are there tax considerations, particularly if people are potentially working outside the country? What expenses are allowable? A full review looking at each areas is needed for most companies.
How should we be approaching this?
As you can see there is much to ponder and no straightforward answers. How you approach this will very much depend on your company and the sector you operate in. Done well there is a great opportunity to demonstrate that you are the type of organisation people want to work for, including current employees but also prospective ones, particularly high performers who can choose where they work.
If this is handled badly, including with a broad brush approach compelling people to return to the office it is likely to compound the tensions that will already be there as a result of the pandemic which include:
Tensions between the employee and the company
Tensions between colleagues, perhaps over vaccine status for instance
Stress that people have because of uncertainty either connected to work or their life outside work or both
So what to do! There are a number of steps you can take immediately that will start you down the right path…
#1. Speak to your team
A good place to start is to establish what they would like to see happen. This may not be possible but at least you know. Some people can’t wait to get back to the office, others are reluctant, and the is a third group who see an opportunity to redesign how they work so they can succeed in their role in a way that works for them and the organisation
#2. Decide if remote working will be right for your business
What might this look like. You can always start with some experimentation and regular reviews. If you will facilitate remote working, how often will people need to be in the office? Will there be core hours or mandatory attendance at some meetings?
#3. Develop your managers
You will need to ensure your managers have the skills needed to adapt to a new way of working and to communicate clearly having regard for the tensions mentioned above that may exist for people. Having a coach or advisor to support them can help them to clarify their thinking on particular situations and to ensure they are consistent with the company’s objectives.
About Cube Consulting
Cube Consulting facilitate positive change & development in organisations, teams, groups & individuals. Roger Dwan is the Founder and principal consultant at Cube Consulting. He has been working in the areas of Human Resources, Conflict Management & Leadership Development since 2002 and brings a wealth of experience.
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