2. Determine if you will bring everyone back full-time or if you will move towards a hybrid workplace when you re-open your office. The hybrid models we’re seeing so far are as follows:
- 50% of your employees in the office 2 days per week, while the other 50% work from home, and then reverse with the 1st group working from home and the 2nd group coming into the office. On the 5th day of the week everyone works from home (in some cases employers are moving to a 4-day work week).
- The employer determines which positions can continue to work from home full-time and which positions will return to the office full-time.
- The employer sets a designated number of hours that employees must be in the office each week and posts a schedule of available dates/times for in office work (think Doodle poll). The employees sign up for the available dates/times that they would like to work at the office, ensuring that they meet the required number of “in office” hours each week. This is a great option if you want to offer flexibility to your employees.
3. Once you have determined what model you will adopt in your business you will want to clearly communicate this to all of your employees. Encourage questions and feedback.
4. Develop and communicate all COVID-19 health and safety policies and protocols that you will adhere to in the office. This includes things like barriers between workstations, mask mandates, hand washing stations, social distancing, policies around illness and sick time. Once you have shared your COVID-19 Return-to-Work Plan, have all returning staff sign off on an acknowledgement form confirming their agreement to abide by these protocols and policies.