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Back to the office: How to help your employees feel safe and comfortable
With more than 80 per cent of Singapore’s population completing the full vaccination regime1, the easing of COVID-19 curbs is well under way. Apart from the gradual loosening of border controls, allowing the resumption of dining-in, and increasing capacities at selected events, workers have already started to return to the office. From 19 August 2021, up to 50 per cent of employees were allowed to return to their workplace2.
This is good news for employers who are keen on accelerating the pace of their businesses, and also for some workers who are eager to return to an office environment.
However, there will be employees who remain hesitant. Some will be anxious about being in close quarters with colleagues, while others may have medical conditions that put them at greater risk (or have family members who do). A number of them may now have responsibilities that make it difficult for them to spend hours away from home, and still others may have discovered that they perform better in work-from-home situations.
Whether you have started getting employees to return to the workplace, or have plans to do so, it is important to approach it with compassion, clarity and flexibility in order to boost morale, maintain productivity and safeguard employee retention.
Here are four suggestions SMEs can consider to ensure a smooth transition.
1. Find out how people feel about it
Before you do anything else, start by talking to your employees. It will be easier to draft a plan, prepare for objections and anticipate operational issues if you have relevant insights on hand. It’s important to ensure that your staff know you are listening. You can use the insights to develop your return plan. For example, if people feel that it will be difficult to physically distance within the space available, you can create solutions that will work. The act of reaching out also assures employees that you are doing all you can to keep them safe.
2. Open your doors
Once the company-wide survey is complete, start on one-on-one talks with those who have objections to the return. This offers your transition managers the opportunity to address more complicated concerns on the spot, paving a clearer path for all. This is especially useful in the case of those with special circumstances, such as home responsibilities or health issues, that hinder their return to the office. Be flexible; offer solutions that fit their needs and yet fair to others, such as split-shifts or caps on in-office hours. It is important to be compassionate here as getting the buy-in of these employees will also help to ease the anxiety of the less-hesitant workers.
3. Announce the re-entry
Clearly articulate why it is important to return to the office at this juncture. This will be different for every company, but if you can explain the ‘why’ well, employees will feel less anxious about returning to the office, and be more productive while there. What’s the value of going back in now? What’s in it for the employee? Draw a line connecting the reasons for returning, how it will be managed and its implications on their lives. A smooth storyline will help ease the hesitance.
4. Focus on their health and wellbeing
Be succinct when listing the measures you have, and will take, to protect your employees’ health and wellbeing. It pays to show how the company has boosted its welfare offerings since the last time everyone was in the office.
In particular, employers might want to think about adding to employee perks, especially health and wellness insurance. Insurance is a benefit that will go a long way towards making sure that employees feel better about returning to the office and standing with the company through the transition.
Throughout the transition, as difficult as it may be, it is important to show you appreciate your people by making them feel safe and giving them peace of mind. Managing the return with compassion will go a long way to alleviate fears of returning to the office. So, the more you can do to facilitate a stress-free return, the better it is for the company in the long run.
Find out more about how you can better protect your best assets – your people with a business insurance solution that suits your needs.
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