It is finally time to welcome back your employees to office. If you’re the employer reading this post, you must be wondering how. Is this the first time that employees are getting back to work after the start of the pandemic? If yes, you will certainly have tons of concerns and questions. Officially, there’s no handbook on how you can ensure 100% safety for the people who return to office. This is the reason why nearly 40% of the organisations still lack a finalized plan on welcoming their staff. 

If you’re struggling with the ways in which you can reopen your business, this guide will help you out. We will share some insight into the ways in which employers can welcome back their employees after the COVID-19 pandemic.

BEGIN SLOWLY

Make sure you don’t hurry while welcoming your employees. Never expect that the employees will start off right from the place they left off. You have to adjust with them for at least a month so that they can get back to their previous mindset and routine. It is best for employers to permit their employees to get back to work at a slower pace. 

Re-introduce the team in smaller batches and welcome half of your team in one week while the other half in another week. Then ask both groups to attend office in the third week so that they can gradually transition back to work. 

ENFORCE PHYSICAL DISTANCING MEASURES

Social distancing is one of the best ways of containing the spread of the virus. Think of new and innovative ways of limiting the spread of the virus in your office. If you place office chairs at open floor plans, make sure there is enough distance between the chairs so that there are no chances of spread of the virus. Here are a few tips you can try out:

  • Rearrange the layout of the office. In case of open office with open workstations which are kept back-to-back, spread them to ensure 6-feet distance between each.
  • Install acrylic or plexiglass partitions between the desks so that there is an added layer of safety. 
  • Make sure your office space is large enough for visitors as well as employees. If it isn’t, you should keep a control on the total number of visitors and employees that can remain inside the office in any given day. You can try setting different teams to work on different days.
  • Do you have an option to create an outdoor space for employees to enjoy their break time? If your office space has such a space, ensure covering the area and keeping adequate seats. 

DECIDE ON WHETHER TO ALLOW MASKS OR NOT

Does your state have any specific regulation regarding masking? If it doesn’t, you have the entire discretion to decide whether or not your employees should wear a mask while at work. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the WHO (World Health Organization) are giving contradictory views on whether you should wear masks or not. The entire decision lies on the business organization and you can make an informed decision considering the safety of your employees. 

KEEP SPACE FOR EMPLOYEE FEEDBACK

Make an attempt to send an email to your employees where you mention the changes that you’ve made to the office space keeping in mind the COVID protocol. Request your employees to give in their feedback so that you can improve and bring about changes, if required. Be open to suggestions.

So, now that you are aware of all the steps to take before calling back your employees to office post pandemic, what are you waiting for? Draft an email and take the first step!