Whether your team is just starting to talk about returning to work, or is looking to make plans a reality, here are 6 steps to return to work during COVID.
While there are talks of a vaccine, it’s still important to make sure you make a plan for folks to return to work during COVID safely. Not to mention, the workplace will never look the exact same, so make sure your plan takes into account current factors (like the pandemic), as well as future factors (such as a transient workforce).
If you and your company are at a loss of how to build a plan to get your employees back in the office, here are 6 steps to return to work during COVID:
Build out a returning to work plan specific to your company
Each company is different. Depending on employees, location, services or products offered, you’re going to want to develop a plan that is specific to your company, and break it down based on each department. You might need HR in the office, but sales could be more transient. This also lessens potential risk if not every department has to be in the office all the time.
Invest in remote working software with COVID-19 functionality
Part of your workforce will be transient, there isn’t any way to avoid it. To ensure immune-compromised folks are kept safe, it’s important that any plan you put in place is accessible. Invest in a remote working software that has COVID-19 functionalities, such as sanitization and contact tracing protocols. We’re partial to TableAir, however, we’re happy to work with you to find a solution that meets your needs!
Share plan with different departments
You made sure to work with each department when creating the return to work plan, make sure to share it with all departments! This might sound redundant, but it’s a crucial step that could easily be overlooked in the hustle and stress to get folks back in the office.
Work with facilities and IT teams to install software.
Once your plan has been approved by the C-Suite and you’ve selected a software to implement, make sure IT and facilities are working in tandem to set things up. To ensure the software works to it’s full capacity, both departments need to be involved. We will be there with you to ensure everything is set-up properly, but we also want you to be set-up for success from step one!
Do a dry run of the software while employees are still working from home most of the time
If you’re investing a software that will make things easier during COVID, as well as after, you definitely want to test the software to iron any issues before mass use. Do a dry run with a few different teams on different days and make sure that it works for your company before launching en masse.
Put plan into action and tweak where necessary
Once you’ve confirmed everything and done your dry-runs of new software put your entire plan into action. Since no plan is perfect from the start, it will be important to make tweaks as needed.
There are your 6 steps to return to work during COVID-19. Obviously, certain things will be very specific to your organization, but these 6 steps will help you and your team handle this challenge calmly and with grace.
Have any questions, or are looking for recommendations? Contact us and we’ll set something up for you!