Jim Link is Chief Human Resources Officer of Randstad North America, one of the world’s largest HR services providers and staffing firms.
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When COVID-19 first hit the U.S., company leaders rapidly moved to temporarily close their businesses and shift operations online, entailing a massive adjustment in the way workforces functioned. Today, HR leaders are working to ensure the smoothest and safest return to work possible — not just in the immediate future, but beyond.
There’s no question that the workplace will never quite be the same again. We’ve entered a new normal in which employee health and physical distancing will need to be at the forefront of every leadership decision. This is certainly a departure from the thinking that drove workplace interaction up until March 2020, where workplaces were changing to encourage more face-to-face collaboration, with many companies even tearing down walls in favor of open office plans.
Now, we must find ways to maintain a collaborative, interactive work spirit while balancing the need for social distancing to ensure employees stay healthy upon their return to physical workspaces. Of course, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, but here are three guiding principles to keep in mind.
When it comes to safety, teamwork is key.
Combatting a highly infectious global pandemic required all of us to work together in a collaborative manner — we called it social distancing. Likewise, when you return to the office, health and safety measures will only be effective if people work together to plan, implement solutions and continually learn.
For starters, then, you should make sure a variety of company leaders take part in the planning and implementation process as decisions are made around safely returning to work. Also, be sure you clearly communicate why these changes are being implemented to your employees. After all, it’s important for them to understand risk controls are highly dependent on consistent behavior from the entire workforce — otherwise, those controls won't be effective. Ultimately, both employers and employees alike must embrace their shared commitment to ensuring the reliability and effectiveness of controls at all levels.
Strengthen mental health resources.
In addition to physical danger, the pandemic has created mental health challenges for many employees. The sudden shift to remote work meant all the factors typically causing workplace burnout intensified. Many workers struggled to continue working while also caring for children at home. Others faced the anxieties around physical and financial health related to the pandemic. Add isolation and loneliness, and you have the recipe for workplace burnout — along with declining productivity.
As an HR leader, be sure your managers have resources to help employees who need to decompress. Hold training on how to navigate and talk about mental health in the workplace. You should also make sure that your company offers benefits and resources related to mental health, and that those benefits and resources are communicated clearly and often to your workforce.
Keep the lines of communication open.
HR leaders can do more than just monitor the status of safety activities across the organization to make sure they're working (and employees are staying healthy). You should also ask for employee feedback about the transition back to work. Send out regular surveys employees can complete quickly and anonymously to give feedback about their experience. Some key questions should generate input on both physical and mental health. For example:
• How safe do you feel in our redesigned workspace since transitioning back to the office?
• Is there anything we could be doing differently to make you feel safer?
• Do you know where to go for help with issues while transitioning back to the workplace?
• Is your manager being flexible around any challenges you’re experiencing?
As HR leaders, we’re eager to see workplaces reopen and to have all of our colleagues return to some sense of normalcy. However, this transition must be handled strategically, with thorough consideration for all aspects of employees’ well-being. Employees must be given tools — encompassing both physical and mental health — to help them thrive in this new normal. Otherwise, employee engagement and productivity will suffer.
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