The tools under this program will provide organizations plan and implement their return to work safely through effective communication with employees.
As the return to work becomes the immediate concern and priority for organizations, more and more companies are looking into solutions and technologies that can guide them. In the history of most firms, this kind of situation has never arisen. There is a lack of awareness about how to navigate this challenging phase so that business continuity and employee safety are equally balanced.
Bright Talent, Inc., a strategic consultancy that helps HR teams to solve their people challenges, has stepped in to provide the guidance that HR teams and business leaders will need. It has released a set of free “Roadmap to Return to Workplace” pandemic support tools that can help organizations to plan, implement, and communicate effectively. With an emphasis on execution, it contains project plans, workflows, policies, instructional details, and communications plans.
The Roadmap to Return to Workplace toolkit contains easily downloadable project plans, workflows, and templates across five key areas:
Establishing distancing and gathering restrictions
Implementing an infectious disease plan
Providing guidelines for remote work
Conducting employee health and wellness checks (building resilience)
Communicating with clarity and compassion in a time of rapid change
These themes are supported by a series of webinars that give practical insights on and real-life examples of effective return-to-work approaches, using the provided tools.
“Implementing policy changes is relatively easy,” said Brenan German, founder and president of Bright Talent. “But making real operational change happen is hard. You need more than tools to implement, you need an overarching plan for how it all fits together along with a clear communications plan. Otherwise, employees can quickly become overwhelmed or see only a disjointed effort at implementing practices.”
The biggest challenges companies are expected to face as they open up are in line with some of the areas being covered above. There are several tools for contact tracing and monitoring employee health and wellness checks, such as Coversa’s Employee HealthCheck and Sharecare. In June, SurveyMonkey also launched a series of surveys to assess employees’ readiness to return to work and help them come back to work safely. However, there is little clarity on aspects such as guidelines for remote work and communication with clarity during this time.
A recent Limeade study shared that organizational communication has a strong link to employees feeling trusted by their employers. This makes it clear that organizations must focus energies on these two aspects as they plan their roadmap for returning to work.
Guidelines on remote working
Remote working is likely to remain firmly in place even after the pandemic subsides. Most companies have realized the benefits of offering remote work as an option to save costs on infrastructure and rental and to give employees a balanced approach to work and life. However, few organizations have established detailed guidelines on how this will be managed after the crisis ends and employees start returning to work.
Setting up technology and collaboration tools that support a long-term approach to virtual working will be the first and most crucial step. Some companies have invested in these tools, but they need to assess if the existing tools are relevant from a future perspective, when most employees will work from home, for more extended periods. This will also apply to employee access to virtual learning platforms. In line with the remote working guidelines, companies will have to formulate cybersecurity policies as well.
Communication about returning to work
HR teams and leaders need to first assess employees’ readiness to return to work by speaking with them. Some employees will be mentally prepared to return, but others may be hesitant – and understandably so – due to the fear of infection. Some will be comfortable with new rules, such as social distancing and mask-wearing, and others might not. Communicating about how the organization is planning the return to work is vital. How will the company bring back recovered employees? How will they identify employees who are at a higher risk of contracting the virus? What other measures will they put in place to quell employee concerns?
Employees must be informed about the apps or tools that will be used to monitor their health, so that they do not perceive them as invasive. Finally, communicating clearly and with empathy about the stress and mental health challenges that employees may be facing, and the support the employer wants to extend, will raise their confidence levels.
Unprecedented challenges require unprecedented solutions, but a combination of the right tools and empathy work in HR’s favor while navigating the return to work.