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December 2021 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \ 31 ELEMENTS Employee Experience • Determine how your company works best. For some industries, ongoing remote work is simply is not an op- tion as it may hinder innovation, productivity and speed to market; for others, it’s a matter of balance, aligning employees’ roles and tasks with work style. Additionally, some roles may be suited to remote work, but employees may not have the ideal remote work setup. There’s also a likelihood that what a company initially chooses for a return-to-work policy may shift. Employees and employ- ers need to have tools in place to re-evaluate as time goes on, as well as clear lines of communication. At our firm, for example, we rely heavily on collaboration to advance our designs and create inspired solutions, which often is most productive in person. At the same time, we want our people to have some autonomy, especially as they’ve spent so much time working remotely. Therefore, while we brought our teams back to the office, we’ve also in- creased some measures of flexibility for their schedules and work locations. This approach embraces our corpo- rate beliefs in the importance of well-being, knowledge sharing and mentorship, as well as trust in our employ- ees. • The right technology is essential to success. For many companies, the only way they’ve been able to continue to operate during the shut-down was via technology. How- ever, companies must take an honest look at what tech- nology people need to do their jobs effectively, as well as ensuring everyone has the same access and opportu- nities. There’s a good chance that not everyone in your company is on equal ground in terms of technology, be it that they can’t afford it, don’t have great access, a less than ideal remote work environment, etc. If you’re ask- ing remote and in-person employees to do the same type of work, they need to be given comparable resources, or those with less will be at an automatic disadvantage, and potentially set up to fail or have their career hindered. • The importance of pilots. Work modalities can be theorized all day long, but eventually must be put into practice. For most companies, “normal” will not look the same as it did pre-pandemic. Therefore, I suggest just try- ing out what you think will work best and be willing to adapt. Pilot programs are a great way to gauge success and tweak where needed. Have a control group try a pro- posed plan for three months or so and then re-evaluate. Ultimately, issues and opportunities will present themselves over time as people continue to migrate back to the office and settle into new ways of working. In any transition, communication is key. Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions, listen to what may be challenging an- swers and set expectations. Follow up on conversations and ask for additional input periodically. These steps will help to progress things forward in the immediate fu- ture. Next, it will be crucial to consider more long-term aspects of workplace strategy, such as how workplace design can positively enhance the employee experience, culture and business goals. \\ susank@eua.com It’s critical to understand the perspectives and comfort levels of departments and individuals to avoid making assumptions about employee work styles and preferences that could be detrimental to a successful return to work. Developing an effective return-to-work policy requires examining company values and aligning themwith employee workstyles and preferences. One of the biggest potential pitfalls during a transition is leader- ship making assumptions about departments and employees. In- ternal surveys allow the employee perspective to be factored into discussions.