The Great Office Reopening - Are You Ready?

The great office migration is here.

So is the the great hybrid debate.

of the global workforce is considering leaving their jobs -- whether it's a re-evaluation of work-life balance, post-pandemic priorities, or flexible work from home options, this is a significant data point to consider.

Take a look at these suggestions before sending your "Welcome Back to Work" mass email:

•Empower employees with flexibility

•Invest in compelling office space & virtual meeting technology

•Protect your talent pool

Empower employees with flexibility

Proceed with great thought as you devise your return-to-work strategy. Get in touch with workers' needs.

How are you talking to your employees?

Are you encouraging your workers to get vaccinated?

Are you asking for proof of vaccination?

Due to legal issues and privacy matters, many employers are hesitant to collect this information. A recent article by Harvard Business Review, provides stats and insights for employers.

In March 2021, Gartner survey states, "regardless of reopening plans, only 1% of the HR leaders expect all of their employees to work full-time in the office." Fifty-nine percent of HR leaders said their organization will let employees work remotely occasionally with approval from their manager — a 21 percentage point increase since November 2020.

Invest in compelling office space and virtual meeting technology

Once your reopening date is set, ensure Day One is a success.

Facility Executive outlines exactly what employees and clients will be looking for upon entrance to your workplace.

This includes:

• Mask policies
• Social distancing
• Temperature scanning
• Hand sanitizing stations
• Frequent cleaning and disinfection
• Fully staffed cleaning teams seen throughout the day

Before the pandemic, the office was the location where work happened. Period.

Today, work happens from many locations. Employers need to give a compelling reason enticing workers to invest in commute time and leave their homes.  Giving a purpose for the physical office is becoming a hot topic of discussion.

Workers' productivity rates have increased significantly while working from home over the past year. Studies conducted by PWC show remote work productivity rates are not a fleeting crisis phenomenon.

Once you've convinced the team to return, it's important to honor their new expectations of heightened cleanliness and safety. Additional janitorial staff, expanded cleaning protocols, entrance temperature scanners, improved HVAC and touchless devices are all part of the new office normal.

What will your office look like? Will you be adopting:

"neighborhooding"?

seat reservation technology?

wipe-in, wipe-out (not the surfing term)?

or overnight storage?

"Offices will morph into something resembling a clubhouse, where employees can get together on occasion to discuss ideas over a meal or a drink," says Peter Jackson, CEO of Bluescape, a firm that develops technology for collaborative work, to SHRM Online. "With an atmosphere and amenities that would be nearly impossible to duplicate in a home office, this would give employees a real reason to come in when they want to interact in person. Reverting to office life pre-pandemic won't cut it.  Employers will need to design a space that's exciting, novel and purposeful."

Competition for talent is incredibly steep –– especially for those with niche skills. Keeping this in mind, can you afford to be behind the times? Will in-demand talent leave, bound for the competition, if your welcome-back rollout is unorganized, rigid or fails to hit the mark?

Using remote work and flexibility as a lever for attracting talent will be unquestionably leveraged by many companies.

How will you reinvent your definition of work in this new paradigm? During a June 2021 webinar, a few key leaders from Gartner discuss  recent findings from their HR studies. Understand what's at risk if you and your business make the choice to revert to legacy concepts surrounding work instead of harnessing the new opportunity of hybrid.

Check out upcoming weekly Gartner webinars covering the following topics:

Human-centric work design - making people more productive

Organizational culture - Evolution in new work environment

Rethinking the Workplace - spaces, real estate, collaborating teams

Managing in Hybrid World - manager's philosophy

Digital Enablement - tech needed to optimize hybrid work

Shifting talent and skills - future of work and labor market

 

 

Concerned about whether you are using the right cleaning service for your workplace? It's imperative to start your search now and find the perfect match. Reach out to other businesses for solid referrals and consult with System4 IPS.