Returning to the office? 3 Considerations for HR Managers

1) Communication:
According to a recent Lifeworks mental health index, 25% of workers are still ‘unclear’ about their employers’ plan for return to work. This not only has an impact on employees’ mental health, but it also reduces their ability to plan accordingly (think child or pet care, access to vehicles or transit etc).
If your organization is still working on a return-to-work plan, commit to a date when this will be shared with employees. If your plan is complete, find a way to effectively communicate it to all employees and give them an opportunity to ask questions in a format in which they feel comfortable.
The same Lifeworks mental health index found that organizations who have already communicated a clear return to work strategy reported less mental health stress.  Like they say, communication is key – it’s a cliché for a reason!

 2) Employee Interactions:
Most employees haven’t seen their colleagues outside of a video call for over a year. Although these video calls have played an important role in keeping people connected, they are no substitute for in person interaction. According to a Microsoft study, one of the largest impacts on people during the COVID period was on employees’ organizational connectivity, the foundation of social capital.
“Simply put, companies became more siloed than they were pre-pandemic. And while interactions with close networks are still frequent, we’re seeing that now — one year in — even these close team interactions have started to diminish.”

In your return-to-work plan, ensure you also plan for informal moments and occasions that will help re-build and strengthen relationships between colleagues. just colleagues that work together day-to-day, but cross functional