Top Tips for a Return to the Office
Over the course of the past two years, life has changed drastically for the vast majority of us. The coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic has seen governments in the majority of countries implementing measures to reduce the spread of the virus from one person to another. As a result, a lot of businesses have switched to letting their staff work on a remote basis. WThis has made it easier for staff to continue working during lockdowns, stay at home orders and social distancing measures. These adaptations have allowed businesses to thrive and have reduced the spread of the virus amongst many. Of course, people are now being vaccinated and cases of hospitalisations and deaths are reducing. So, it’s not all too surprising that many businesses are considering bringing their staff back to work in commercial premises. If you’re in this group, here are a few pieces of advice that can help you and your staff to get back to how things were before the pandemic as easily as possible.
Opt for a Phased Return
A phased return is a good idea for those bringing staff back in-office. Staff have been working at home long enough to grow used to their new working situation, so a return to the office should be a slow and gradual process. This will help to make the change less shocking and severe. Avoid throwing staff back in the deep end of an eight hour a day, five day work week. This could cause discontent and see people feeling overwhelmed, unproductive or even handing in their notices. A slow return will be much more comfortable. A good approach could be one day a week back on-site, then two days, then three, then four and so on. This eases the shock and change.
Carry Out a Commercial Clean
People are still on edge about hygiene and cleanliness right now. So, put their mind at rest by engaging with Commercial Cleaning. Professional cleaners can visit your commercial premises and conduct a deep clean that will leave every space sparkling and shining. It’s a good idea to do this just before staff return to office. You should also have a commercial clean carried out routinely going forward.
Consider Hybrid Working
Remember that many staff enjoy remote working and many businesses out there are offering job contracts that are personally remote. You don’t want to lose your staff by enforcing a full time return to the office if it isn’t wanted. Instead, consider offering a hybrid work contract where staff spend some time on-site and some time working from home.
As you can see, there’s a lot to take into consideration when it comes to bringing your team back into the office. The good news is that the tips above should help you to implement this process trouble-free! The most important thing here is to listen to your staff, make sure they feel comfortable and to be considerate and flexible.
