How to Welcome Employees Back to Work…or Not

The pandemic has made working a very confusing thing right now, but there are many employees that have been thriving from home. Those able  have been working from home since the pandemic started and going back could be an abrupt change. Some will like the change from their house to their workplace, but for some it could be jarring. Organizations have a lot they need to keep in mind when it comes to getting your employees back in the office, or not! The next solution and trend is pointing to a hybrid model . You want the best work for your organization, keep reading for our tips! 

Our Tips for Transitioning into the Next Work Model 

Hybrid Work Model

• Make sure you talk to your employees and figure out what works best for them, it is not always the same for every business.
• Don’t overwork your employees, give them time to do their work, but also offer them breaks or time off.
• Be clear and concise with your employees, so they have a better understanding of what you expect from them.
• Check on your employees everyday and make sure everything is going well for them if they are working from home or the office.
• Be aware that if your company cannot function properly with everyone remote, then that needs to be brought to the employees attention.
• Talent is everywhere, some people could be better than others while working from home, you just have to find out what works best for your business and your employees.

Be warm and welcoming employees back to the office: 

When employees are just coming back to the office you will find that some of them work better when they are at home. Being flexible with your employees working from home is also very important. If the employee has grown accustomed to working at their house and has a schedule down it can be hard to change back to the way it was. Leniency is nice so the employees can enjoy their work from home, but still come to the office sometimes. Understanding your employees’ perspectives and allowing them to do their work on their time, whether it be in the office or at home, allows for them to provide the best work they can. Making sure that the employees are happy and want to come into work is also a very important tip. If your employees do not enjoy coming into the office, then when they start coming back in, they might not provide the best work they can, which in turn affects your business. Making sure the workplace is enjoyable for your employees helps a lot when they start returning to the office.

Strike a Balance, so you do not lose talent.

Flexibility  is also a big part of not losing talent for your organization. If you are not flexible with your employees and make them go straight into working in the office every day, you might find their work suffers. Just having empathy and understanding that your employees could have other things to worry about with the pandemic or just in general, allows for them to be comfortable and do the best they can. Being flexible reduces the amount of stress that is put on them and makes them feel appreciated. The more satisfied your employees are the more they work, which is always good for an organization. 

Focus on team building and culture:

There are many ways you can build the culture  that you and your team have as a whole. Making sure everyone knows their role in the organization and how the work they do impacts the business as a whole is always a good starter. If the employees know what they have to do and do it the best they can, while enjoying it, then the business will already be on the right track. Encourage your employees to spend time together  (safely!), because the more the team interacts with each other and more they enjoy being with each other.. The employees’ work ethic reflects on the culture of the company, so if they are not doing good work, it could have a negative impact on the organization as a whole. 

Safety is Key:

With a pandemic going on there is a lot of worry for our own safety or for the safety of people we love. Understanding that your employees could have health problems to worry about, or if they have to look after a loved one, makes them feel comfortable and shows them that you care about them and their well-being. Make sure that all the policies in your state for COVID are followed.. The pandemic is not the only thing you should be considerate of when it comes to your employees. Sometimes mental health can be a big factor in how hard a person wants to work or is willing to work. If they are struggling, give them some time to get better and provide the best work they can. If you communicate with the workers and let them know they can talk to you it could change the outcome of their work. Make sure there are  people they can talk to if they do not fully trust you with personal information. Team happiness will make the workplace an overall better place for everyone there.

Clear, Consistent, and Communication:

Communication is key when having your employees come back to their office or work in general. After a long time of communicating over a computer and zoom calls, it is a nice change to have a face-to-face conversation with your coworkers. More communication allows for everyone to enjoy their work, want to be there, and work harder. There are many ways you can communicate with your coworkers. Consistency is also a very important thing in an organization. If you are being flexible  with them from the beginning, then you need to be consistent with that all the time. You cannot just let one person work from home or leave work early and expect the others to not want to follow. Consistency holds the workplace together!These tips are all very helpful when trying to get your employees back in the workplace (or not!) and should all be used together for your employees to do the best on their work and to be happy while doing the work. Mental health,, recognition, flexibility, and communication all allow the workplace to be more peaceful and not so stressful.

Works Cited

Best tips & tricks to welcome employees returning to office. (2020, December 18). Retrieved April 23, 2021, from https://www.proofhub.com/articles/best-tips-tricks-to-welcome-employees-returning-to-office

Hybrid work is here to Stay: 4 best practices from hr experts. (2021, April 26). Retrieved May 06, 2021, from https://www.hibob.com/blog/hybrid-work-best-practices/

The next great disruption is hybrid work-are we ready? (n.d.). Retrieved May 06, 2021, from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work