Transitioning back to office life…again

The Delta variant of COVID-19 has changed our world, perhaps more than the original COVID-19 strain. As New Zealand workplaces open up under the new traffic light system, how can we transition back to some form of normal? 

As a leader, it is important that you proactively manage this process by creating and communicating clarity (arguably the number one responsibility of a leader). The best way to do that is to take a methodical approach, using change management principles. So how exactly do you do that? 

Create a plan

Unless your organisation hasn’t been operating during the lockdown, there’s likely no reason to rush back to everyone working in the office nine-to-five, five days a week. Instead, create a plan for re-opening the workplace using the following elements:

1.     Select a date for beginning the transition. You should consider offering staff a transition period where they can still work some days from home, at least in the first few weeks of being back. Given that the Christmas holidays are almost upon us, it may be a good idea for you to hold off altogether until the new year.

2.     Prepare the workplace. Ensure the workplace is clean, tidy, and welcoming for staff. Investigate whether a ‘deep clean’ is required. Check that amenities are refreshed. Treat the return to the office as a celebration. You might like to schedule a ‘welcome back’ event that promotes reconnecting of relationships among your staff.

3.     Prepare your team. Begin to socialise your plans with the team. Ensure they have time to get used to the idea of returning to the workplace. This may include talking about whether there are requirements for vaccinations, sharing the timetable for reopening, or outlining how customers will be managed. Ask your team how they think it would be best to implement the plan, and whether there is anything you have missed. While the decision is ultimately yours, implementation will be more effective with input and buy-in from the team. You do this by giving some ownership to your team in decision-making.

Communicate clearly

Once you have a plan, start to communicate it to the team. Communication should be  ongoing, not a one-off event. Use more than one channel, as people process information differently. This may include online team meetings, company social media tools (e.g. Slack, Workplace), and email. Your communications should include the following:

1.     Provide a clear plan with a simple timeline. Keep it simple! Bullet-points and pictures, not an essay.

2.     Clearly explain why you have made certain decisions. Provide objective, factual reasons for any decisions that may be unwelcome by some. For example, if you have decided to require all staff to be vaccinated, explain why – not with emotive words, but with the facts you used to make your decision.

3.     Ensure everyone has the opportunity to process the plan and to be heard. Give people the opportunity to process the plan, and to speak about their particular circumstances with their line manager or peers. Some people won’t speak out in a group setting, but they will voice their questions or concerns one-on-one or in an informal context.

Implement effectively

You have formulated your plan and begun to communicate it with your team. Now is it time to get on with it. When implementing your plan, consider using the following principles:

1.     Stick to the plan. This provides everyone with clarity, even if they don’t agree with everything in your plan, and it minimises the impact of unpleasant surprises. 

2.     Be flexible. This sounds counter to ‘stick to the plan’, but if you do not give yourself and your team room to tweak things as you go, inflexibility could backfire on you. Make changes in a clear and considered manner, and make sure you communicate! And:

3.     Keep communicating. Maintain ongoing dialogue with your team on how the reintegration plan is going, what tweaks you have had to make, and when you have reached a new ‘normal’.

As you prepare for heading back to office life, avoid falling into the trap of acting like nothing happened, or that it hasn’t affected you. We have all been impacted by COVID-19. Rather, create a plan with your team, communicate clearly, and implement it effectively. This ensure that you are well placed to transition your organisation back into office life without a hitch.

If you want to discuss developing your transition plan with an experienced HR professional, contact us below.