5 Things To Consider Before Reopening The Workplace Post-Pandemic
Waking up to the mentioned news really got me thinking, are we ready yet to welcome our employees physically at the Organization?
What should be our prime expected task, security, and safety measures before we inaugurate Workplace 2.0?
Introduction
The prevailing epidemic has severely affected our work mode and forced us to change the unwanted definition of employment space. It made us strong in believing, Worst brings out the best in you.
We got a hit and it changed the meaning of the workplace from being seated just in a definite domicile, to the office at home, office at the coffee shop, office on the walk, and office from anywhere. Now that we have calibrated this model, it’s time to revamp our working arena and welcome our employees back to the official space with a new zeal, more enthusiasm, and high energy.
Revamping won’t change the work criteria but the elevation in digital tools and technology will definitely provide a new employee experience by saving them time, giving them flexibility, safety, and security.
No matter what the final model looks like, technology is only part of the story but the culture change will be the spotlight. The oceanic change was visible when the actual office got transitioned from physical to virtual and now navigating back won’t be less than a struggle for both employers and employees.
Covering details could require entire new writing, for this reason supplying below, the crispest factors to assist us for creation of our new job location.
1. Access Control System and Commercial Door Sensors for Entry-Exit
No more hassle of standing in a queue to get the biometric done. Transitioning from finger punch to face read and no-contact entrance in the official premises should be the first major change to be considered. This will certainly make social distancing and touchless enforceable and manageable. Commercial door sensors might sound like the most heard and seen model but trust me, organizations situated in complex buildings or having multiple floors with multiple closed rooms tend to ignore this paradigm.
So, before ignoring this system, Corporates, just remember, post-epidemic, touching things is a new source of anxiety. Go touchless asap.
2. Seating/Workstation Arrangement
Understanding the characteristics of your job stations is now one of the most obvious and significant changes. Whether open workspace, cubicles, assembly lines, whatever is it, to be placed as per the social distancing norms. Conference rooms, meeting spaces, and floor plans will have to be budget-consciously re-designed. Re-calling employees and not investing in the alteration of the workplace wouldn’t be a good sign to run the business effectively in the post-pandemic era. You can estimate a substantial percentage of the workforce who’ll be regular on-site and employees who’ll be working off-site, thus determining the appropriate seating arrangements.
3. Splitting the Work Hours
Leveraging the technology will not suffice until we reduce the moving headcounts on-site. Hence, split. Split the work hours, schedule and shifts, of your workforce, to reduce the occupancy level. 3 2 2 work-week and staggered hours may balance the physical and remote work structure. This will also help in monitoring workforce activity and ease the tracking of operational requirements. Empowering staff by involving them in decision-making and taking their help in designing work hours might prove beneficial and will act as a mitigation plan for uncertain risk.
In any event, COVID-19 has already established flexible work schedules for our staff. Hence, try a flexitime arrangement to make your employees cope with the splendor of WFH.
4. Automated Wellness Verification
Safe employees will lead to a safe working environment. In an extension of following health safety guidelines by WHO and a major runover through health policy changes, employers will also have to combine approaches from pre-entry wellness checks to the usage of thermal cameras for a temperature check and vaccinated employee triggers.
Source credit: www.cbinsights.com
Apart from automated systems, employee well-being should now be a part of regular processes. Mental and emotional wellness has exploded since the pandemic and so the concept needs to gain traction.
Organizations may also put up periodic family health exam booths.
5. Sanitization Station and Regular Cleaning
Organizational buildings can be deep cleaned in between the shifts, therefore, enhancing hygiene protocols. Sanitizer booths to be established at every possible corner and center of the engaged area. Apart from frequent and regular cleaning of the setup, it is also important to disinfectant the ventilation area and AC ducts. Where educating employees through sticking hygiene posters is one part, another to focus on, is, to vacuum the space (if needed) and allow re-circulation of air.
Conclusion
While it may seem that wearing a mask and sanitizing your hands forms a major part of regularity, post-pandemic, employers on the other hand may seem daunting to adjust their workplace policies with abundance caution.
Surveys might not reveal, but, many people feel they are actually more productive and innovative when working from home. Hence, organizations now need to rethink and re-design with extra caution to make employees’ preferred place to work.
The basic attempts outlined above will not only help protect employees but also position companies for a smoother transition as they arrange to return to the office and bring as many people back into work as safely as possible.
Since, there is no going back to the pre-pandemic workplace, signing off the article with best wishes to my corporate buddies to welcome their employees with more confidence and a much stronger & safe implemented system.
