Tips For Transitioning Your Team Back Into The Office

As we all start to think about getting back to normal after the pandemic, a return to the office is on the cards for many workforces.

If you want to get your team back to the office after a period of remote working, it’s important to go about this in the correct and proper way.

But what does that actually look like in practice? That’s what we’re going to take a look at today, so read on now to learn about the very best tips you can make the most of when transitioning your team back to life in the office.

Be Transparent About It

First of all, you should make sure that you’re being as transparent as you possibly can be with your team of employees. They need to know what your plans are and they need to be kept in the loop with regards to the transition back to the office. If they feel like this change is being sprung upon them or that they’re not being given the details they want and need, it’s not something they’re likely to be pleased about.

Allow a Degree of Flexibility

It’s important that your business is willing to give employees a degree of flexibility. Lots of people will be looking forward to coming back to the office and interacting with their colleagues face to face. But there are some who will be wishing they can carry on working at home. And if their work doesn’t suffer from doing so, is it really such a problem if they do carry on working that way? It’s something to at least consider.

Listen to Feedback from Your Staff

It’s important to be communicative with your staff regarding these plans, as we already mentioned above. Listening to them is a big part of that though, and you should be willing to take on board the feedback they give you. If they have concerns, you should take the time to address them and come up with ways that’ll help your team feel more confident and comfortable with the idea of returning to the office after a period away.

Ensure the Right Hygiene Resources Are in Place

You need to make sure that you’re doing everything within your power to protect your staff as they make their way back into your office. You should give them access to masks and sanitizer, as well as any other hygiene and cleanliness resources that might be needed. Having a strong cleaning schedule that keeps the place free of germs should also give them a little more confidence in their return to the workplace. If you want people to feel comfortable with turning, they need to feel that things are clean and safe.

Create Solid Safety Protocols

It’s important that good safety protocols exist across the board if you want to make sure that people feel comfortable with the idea of returning to the office. These safety protocols should address the concerns that people have, and specifically ensure that the Covid infection risk is as minimal as it possibly can be. That might involve mandatory testing, better ventilation, and distancing measures in the workplace, for example.

Ensure Mental Health Support is in Place

For a lot of people, this whole experience will be very stressful and place a significant strain on their mental health. In order to give these people the extra support they might need, you should ensure mental health support provisions are in place. Giving people that support and ensuring their struggles and anxieties are not simply ignored will be very important if you want to make sure that the transition back to working in the office goes smoothly.

Give Everyone Time to Adjust

When you are all back in the office, it’s important that you give everyone time to adjust to the situation. It’s not going to be the same as it was in the past, and it’s certainly going to be different to working from home, which a lot of people have got used to doing by now. Be sure to give people the time they need to adjust and don’t rush people if they’re not ready yet.

As you can see, there are lots of ideas you can make the most of when it comes to transitioning your team back into the office. It’s something that you should do while treading carefully because not everyone is going to be enthusiastic about this change. So make the most of the advice outlined above.