After the COVID-19 pandemic caused nearly half of the total workforce to work from home, many teams realized previously untapped benefits to both work-life balance and workplace productivity.
For many employers, working from home versus returning to the office is still very much an open question.
For many, the return to the office has been difficult. Fortunately, there are plenty of things that employers can do to encourage their team members to return to the office in a non-pushy way.
If you’ve chosen to return to in-office work, you’ve probably already begun a phased return to office plan. This plan might include step-by-step instructions, new incentive plans, and wellness check-ins. In this article, we’ll walk through the best way to ensure long-term retention and effectiveness of your return-to-work plan.
Creating a return to office plan is essential to ensure the transition from working at home to working in the office is smooth and seamless for your employees. Otherwise, there’s a risk of increased stress and job burnout, both of which can be detrimental to the productivity and efficiency of your office.
An effective plan for returning your employees to the office also ensures health and safety for your team members. In a post-COVID world, it is important to many employees that their health and safety concerns be taken into account. Doing so means you are more likely to get more of your staff back on board, ensuring your business’s future success.
Building a strong team of happy, healthy, and ultimately loyal employees is easier said than done.
Way back in 2016, even before the pandemic, failure to attract and retain top talent was the main issue detailed in the Conference Board’s survey of global CEOs before economic growth and competitive intensity.
Employees’ needs and preferences may have changed significantly since the remote work boom, and you need to take these into consideration. Chiefly, think about what the most common preferences are and consider implementing them.
Here are a few tips.
Of course, the health and safety of your staff is paramount. Think about the physical components of your office and determine whether you need to change anything to keep your team healthy, such as implementing the following health and safety precautions:
You must also keep your employees’ mental health in mind. Many staff will continue to be worried and anxious to return to the office.
Highlighting the various health and safety measures that you have put in place will alleviate teams’ fears and reduce the challenges that they might face about returning to the office. It provides an assurance that their transition back into the office will go smoothly.
Any effective return to office plan for your team is impossible if you don’t gather regular feedback. You can formulate an effective plan that ensures high staff satisfaction and business success by asking your employees about their needs and preferences. Doing so makes everyone feel included, boosting morale and making your office a lively, happy place to work.
According to a Ritual poll, only 23% of employees are going into the office every day. Of course, there will be varying opinions about this shift. But if you address the majority of desires and concerns amongst your team, you will boost the common morale.
According to Gallup, 42% of employees currently have a hybrid schedule. A hybrid model enables your employees to split their time between the office and home.
Using a hybrid model eases your staff back into the workplace after a long period of full-time remote work, preventing them from feeling overwhelmed or stressed about returning to the office. It also maintains some flexibility in your employees’ schedules, enabling them to find a great work-life balance more easily.
Make sure to check in with your staff a few months after they have returned to the office. It’s important to gather feedback from them to determine what is working and what needs improving to make your team feel more comfortable. Keeping your employees content and checking in with them regularly will reduce their fears and frustrations about returning to the office.
Implementing an effective return to office plan will increase your team’s comfort, boost their morale, and make sure that everybody returns to work with a social attitude.
If you are considering how to encourage everyone to hop back into office life, winning incentives will also pique their interest. A return to the office can be fun, so team up with Ritual for Companies and let the good times roll.
