Susan Tohyama is Chief Human Resources Officer of Ceridian, responsible for designing and driving the global people and culture strategy.
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It’s been over a year since the majority of office workers shifted to a remote or hybrid model to combat the spread of Covid-19. Pre-pandemic, working from home was generally a permissive luxury, an employee perk that modern companies offered, if reluctantly. Today, working from home is a mainstay — however, its appeal to some appears to be waning.
According to our March poll of formerly in-office workers who have gone virtual or hybrid since the pandemic, the vast majority (83%) want to return to the office full-time at some point. The study also found that half feel isolated from their colleagues, one-third feel working from home has negatively impacted their career growth and 36% feel working from home has had a negative impact on their mental health. A March 2021 Eden Workplace and Wakefield Research study found similar sentiments among the typically office-based employee set. Working from home became the norm out of necessity, and it appears that with vaccinations rolling out globally, the time has come for companies to begin planning for a return to the office.
With this top of mind for many, here are a few critical points all organizations should be considering as they plan to welcome their employees back.
1. Give your people freedom of choice.
While the data reveals that a return to an in-person work environment is preferred among office workers, it’s critical to remember that each organization, workforce demographic and geography is unique. Not everyone will be willing or able to return. Giving employees the choice of how and where they want to work will be key, but understanding what they’re up against, and what their preferences might be, is step one. A simple, confidential survey of your employees will help inform HR departments and other stakeholders on how to make a return to the office safe and manageable for all involved while shedding light on what the future of work might look like for their organization.
2. Prioritize employee mental health and well-being.
It’s true that we won’t be returning to the normal we once knew, however, this isn’t all bad news. Many elements of the way we worked simply weren’t working before the pandemic gripped the globe. The silver lining being spun from our collective experience over the past year is that there has been an opportunity to take a hard look at what needs to change. At the top of that list should be how we care for the employees who play a big part in helping our businesses thrive, in both the good and more challenging times. Now is the time to begin rethinking the policies and resources in place to support the mental, physical and financial health of workers, ensure that they reflect the challenges we’re all facing and offer the resources and flexibility needed today and in the years ahead. Our businesses and communities are depending on it.
3. Prepare a re-exit strategy.
Undoubtedly, after all they’ve been through, employees will want to know that there is a plan in place should there be a resurgence of the pandemic or another public health emergency. Having a plan in place — and communicating that plan — will ease the transition back to the workplace and reassure employees that their safety remains the top priority.
The workforce is clearly eager for a sense of normalcy in their lives, and for many, the return to the office plays a large role in that. Let’s ensure that when the time comes, our people are comfortable, happy, safe and have choices.
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