Crafting What Going Back To Work Will Look Like: The Nuanced Decisions All Leaders Need To Consider

There is nothing cut and dry about what work will look like in the coming months for leaders and their employees. Even so, based on survey results recently released by Glassdoor, 72% of employees say they are eager to return to their company’s office. In fact, nearly half (45%) expect to return to working in their company’s office in some capacity in Summer 2020. On top of that, 83% trust their company’s senior leaders will make an informed decision about when to re-open their office.

However, if there’s anything that’s obvious about the role of a leader is that it isn’t a straight-forward job. It’s filled with difficult decisions set in a world of nuance and shades of gray. Now you add the layers of nuances born from the Covid-19 pandemic and it is naïve to expect leaders to have clear cut path ahead of them.

Glassdoor Chief People Officer, Carina Cortez, shares that, “There’s no one-size-fits-all model for employers preparing to re-open their offices.” To plan for that, below are some tips for leaders to consider as they carve out their business’s own path towards going back to work.

Get clear on the future vision. It’s true there is no cookie cutter approach that can be taken. When leaders are looking to craft the plan that’s most appropriate for their organization, they first need to get clear on what kind of ‘cookies’ they are looking to make and how many. That means it’s important to pause, take time to get clear on what you are looking to achieve beyond this time of Covid-19 quarantine. What would equal success a year from now? How can that be leveraged to determine timing, priorities and identify the types of risks that are worth taking and those that aren’t?

Make information sharing top priority. “While many workers are eager to return to the office, employers considering re-opening offices should clearly communicate that the workplace is going to look very different, and keep employees informed on what that means for them,” emphasizes Cortez. There are going to be a lot of emotions swirling around the movement to return to work. It will be vital to ensure all employees are clear on what the facts are, what is being figured out and what is still completely unknown.

At this time, over-enthusiasm to return can be just as disastrous as a paranoia of all the bad things that could happen, whether grounded in fact or not. As leaders, helping clarify the truth from all the noise will be one of the most important roles they play to ensure everyone is making informed decisions and taking calculated risks vs. unnecessary ones.

Connect the dots of varying degrees and approaches to policy. Cortez highlights that, “Now more than ever, employers must closely monitor local guidelines and listen to their employees to ensure they are meeting the needs of the people that fuel their business.” Sharing information is going to be tougher than it ever has been. Leaders are having to sort through federal, state and local policies that are changing sometimes by the hour. They are sifting through the confusing and often contradicting health advice regarding the coronavirus. Then there is the labyrinth of decision-making levers that they could be working through within their own organizations.

Put tactical safety first. This is going to be legally required to even entertain the idea of bringing employees back to work. According to Glassdoor’s survey results. U.S. employees, who are exclusively working from home due to Covid-19, expect their employer to do the following when their company’s office re-opens:

• More than 3 in 4 (79%) expect their employer to provide disinfectant/hand sanitizer.
• Over half (54%) expect their employer to mandate employees wear masks/gloves in the office.
• 45% expect their employer to space out workstations at least six feet from other co-workers.
• 38% expect their employer to check employees’ temperatures upon arriving at work.

Prioritize psychological safety next. Though there will be quite a bit of emphasis on ensuring people are protected from the spread of the coronavirus, one of the most critical components that will ensure a safe workplace is the ability for people to communicate. This means all employees are invited to and supported to speak up when something feels uncomfortable, dialogue about situations that are unclear or have gray areas to work through and the trust that their concerns will be heard and taken seriously. This is difficult if the company’s culture did not have this trust embedded before Covid-19. However, this can serve as the perfect time to show that the leadership will put trust at the top of their list of business priorities.

Assess what’s changed and what still needs to change. This experience hasn’t been all bad. Remote work has opened up many possibilities in terms of flexible workplace practices and policies. Leaders shouldn’t be so quick to get back to the way things were. Instead, review with peers and employees what modern practices can help engage staff, reduce costs and enable a broader scope of collaboration.

The Glassdoor survey results showed that 65% of employees that were forced to remotely during this pandemic would work from home full-time after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, if given the option. 60% would be more likely to apply to a position that is entirely remote if they were looking for a new job. These factors shouldn’t be put back in the box, especially since employees will be unlikely to forget that it’s a possibility and other employers are likely looking into these options.

Enable community and collaboration. According to Glassdoor’s survey results, 52% of respondents listed socializing with coworkers and 46% listed in-person work collaboration as top the reasons employees are eager to return to their office. There will need to be a balanced effort to enforce social distancing while finding creative ways to support and provide safe avenues for that reconnection and sense of community to occur. If it’s not addressed directly and thoughtfully, chances are employees will do what humans do when faced with roadblocks, they will find workarounds. This can lead to unnecessary risks and increased exposure.

Leaders have a tough road ahead of them. But they are also entering a time where their staff is eager to support them and work as a team to find a solution to getting back to work. If done thoughtfully, it could create the kind of momentum needed to ensure the company and workforce thrives.