CREJ

22 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / June 2020 A fter a major disruption that affects work and life, getting back to the office requires an intentional strat- egy to assure employees feel they are safe and can remain healthy in their environ- ment. As workers worldwide contemplate re- turning to the office, new norms likely will emerge to address employee health and safety. Successful transitions take a holistic approach, addressing health and well-being from a phys- ical, mental, social and emotional perspective. Here are some tips to ease your employees back to the workplace post-COVID-19 and give them confidence in their work environment. Develop people-focused policies and proce- dures. Establish flexible work strategies such as: remote work options; alternate shifts or A/B team schedules; and/or phase employees’ return to work in stages. Allocate spaces and tools to discourage shared usage: Assign seats and storage for individuals; dedicate meeting spaces and neighborhoods for teams; and/or rovide personal phones, electron- ics and equipment. Upgrade technology for seamless, reliable re- mote working and encourage its use to minimize meetings and travel. Implement a robust change management strat- egy with extensive communication to prepare, support and help individuals and teams make adjustments. Create spaces that allow people to be “alone together.” Consider spacious layouts or stagger users to maintain 6-foot distances, create enclo- sures or delineate spaces. Leverage soft architectural solutions. Vertical space delineation in combination with work- stations can add privacy along a corridor, add separation between teams or enclose individual workspaces. Jenny West Transformation Leader, Knoll Moving Forward Considerations for Returning to a Healthy Workplace: Helping Your Employees Get Back to Work Safely Alternate shifts or A/B team schedules Consider spacious layouts or stagger users to maintain 6-foot distances, create enclosures or delineate spaces Vertical space delineation in combination with worksta- tions can add privacy along a corridor, add separation between teams, or enclose individual workspaces.