OIQ_091521

September 2021 — Office & Industrial Quarterly — Page 11 www.crej.com OFFICE — WORKPLACE TRENDS L ooking forward to having employees return to an in- office work environment as we navigate today’s complex world of COVID-19 and the aftermath requires much more than opening the doors of an office building and turning on the lights. It demands a great deal of time and attention to health and safety measures, as well as creative work schedules and models that provide a balance to those who can and want to return to the office. Denver South serves six jurisdic- tions (Arapahoe County, Douglas County, city of Centennial, city of Greenwood Village, city and county of Denver and the city of Lone Tree) and comprises more than 48 mil- lion square feet of office space, serving approxi- mately 15,000 busi- nesses and 240,000 employees. Need- less to say, finding ways to support local businesses and help them transition their employees back to work is imperative for every economic development organization in the state and across the country. As a result of this necessity, we recently imple- mented a back-to- work initiative to help companies better understand and address the hybrid workday as we continue to face the realities of an ever-evolving pandemic. The ini- tiative also is help- ing to maintain occupancy levels in our office buildings in a safe, healthy and responsible manner, providing a work environment for employees who thrive in an office setting. As part of the initiative, Denver South worked with some of our best resources – our local companies – to learn more about their plans for helping businesses find the best hybrid work conditions possible. Among ideas we discovered were companies looking to create col- laboration spaces for employees as they return to the office for those in-person meetings. Other organiza- tions are responding to employees’ requests to maintain some sem- blance of working from home and in the office (survey results from Global Workplace Analytics reveal over 80% of employees polled want some type of a hybrid return to the office work plan). The initiative provides employers and employees with valuable resources and tem- plates they can use to formalize a hybrid concept. While not all job types have the ability to work from home, many employees have discovered during the pandemic that they are happier and more efficient at their jobs in a home office setting. Denver South is addressing this as well by help- ing companies find the most effi- cient and effective ways to provide the work-from-home option in a more formal way. We’ve developed policies and programs, determined technology components, established ways to educate employees and identify participants, and created a way for companies to evaluate and report on results. Our sample guidelines for imple- menting a hybrid work approach include resources for companies to consider such as: • Eligibility requirements for an employee to work from home. • Setting limits to the number of days an employee can work from home. • Schedules and hours. • Workspace requirements. • Workers’ compensation and liability. • Insurance and additional expenses. • Tax implications. • Equipment and supplies. • Employee access and availability. • Inclusion process. • Evaluations. Employers also can access sample employee agreements that provide structure and examples of some of Denver South launches back-to-office initiative Sheryl Machado Director of communications and public affairs, Denver South Erin Schneiderman Director of marketing, Denver South Please see Machado, Page 18 Denver South recently implemented a back-to-work initiative to help companies better understand and address the hybrid workday as businesses continue to face the realities of an ever-evolving pandemic.