The Post Covid-19 Workspace
As we begin to optimistically look forward to a transition out of the Covid-19 pandemic, landlords and tenants are understandably anxious about how to manage a return to the workplace in 2021. This guide is intended as a suggested high level approach to mindfully integrating your workforce back into a communal working environment. It will discuss how to prepare for change, how to engage with your staff positively and the impact that solutions may have on the workspace. Finally, the guide provides a brief checklist to assist with your reintegration.
Planning for a return to the workspace
Process
You will be compelled to introduce new working practices and policies, in particular, related to Health & Safety. This will require a comprehensive retraining of employees prior to their reintroduction to the workplace. Clearly this will have to be undertaken remotely, communicating clearly your policies, procedures and the reasons for revising them. A rigorous professional approach, coupled with a willingness to receive and act upon employee feedback, will reduce your team anxieties about returning to work.
Consideration should also be given to implementation of blended home working, shift working and staggered start and finish times, to reduce employee interactions at traditional peak times, whilst empowering employees to flexibly manage when they have to engage with public transport, childcare, etc. Implementation of desk booking systems is also a great idea to manage employee numbers, ensure productivity and reduce anxiety.
People
Your staffs' health and well being is obviously very important in managing a return to the office, post pandemic. Levels of anxiety and stress will vary considerably among staff. Checking well being individually will go a long way to establishing trust, and working with your staff to determine and communicate practical measures to promote health and well being in the workplace is important. Consider how your employees will get to work. Many who previously took public transport, may feel uncomfortable doing so now. Are there creative ways that you can ensure their safety or subsidise their transport?
Ensuring that your employees can work effectively from home is also important to ensure individual performance and fulfilment is maintained. Consider also how to measure this performance alongside those happy to work within the workplace. Staff reviews and development may well be very different moving forward.
Place
You will have to work with your Landlord and Facility Manager to integrate your new requirements into theirs to ensure a safe operating environment is provided. Consider how these new requirements should be communicated to employees, visitors and fellow tenants.
The design of your workplace may also have to change to adhere to social distancing guidelines, one-way systems, reduced occupancy patterns, privacy screens, etc. All are strategies that are effective but they must be managed so as to retain an inspiring place to work.
Lastly, if your office has been sitting empty for the last 12 months, you will have to do all the necessary checks on the M&E systems to ensure that they are operating safely. Sanitation measures will also have to be enhanced and communicated to staff and cleaning & maintenance personnel.
Technology
Clearly a revised IT strategy will be required in any post Covid-19 context, to ensure the smooth running of your business as your team is likely to be working from home as well as in the office. Provision of hardware and software is important but so is training. Ensure that any implementation of new technology is supported by a comprehensive training regime to ensure staff buy-in and engagement.
Culture for Change
Implementing any major changes to a business requires a radical change in culture, and you need to ensure that your employees are prepared for it. If you empower them with the tools, knowledge and processes required to meet the change you have a greater chance of succeeding.
Below is a suggested framework to assist in developing a culture for change. Ensuring that you have engaged with your staff to understand their specific anxieties and requirements and subsequently provide a considered response.
Setup your Culture Team - a multi departmental team tasked with recording, strategysing and implementing the change.
Data Collection - from key stakeholders including staff, clients, landlord and statutory authorities.
Staff Journey Mapping - how do staff travel to work, what are the challenges that they will face?
Design of Workspace - what are its limitations, how can they be changed?
Communicate your plan - effective communication to your team, clients and partners to fully engage them.
Evaluate and Monitor - continuously evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of the changes made and use insight to develop your workspace plans further to better meet the demands of post Covid-19 context.
Integration Checklist
Below you will find a helpful checklist to assist you in developing a considered empathetic yet practical return to the workplace for your team. The points discussed are deliberately generic and thought provoking, with the intention of compelling you to develop your own specific return to work plan for your business.
Returning to your workspace and ensuring that it is Covid secure for your team is both daunting and exciting. There is great opportunity to be had in change, and engaging positively with staff to ensure that their needs are aligned with your business goals will ensure a successful transition. At Actum, we are more than happy to assist you in developing your strategy. We are also actively working with other design teams as Principal Contractor to deliver Covid secure workspaces as we transition out of Lockdown. If you feel that we could help, just contact us by clicking on the button below.