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One Foot Back in the Office

As you reopen the office, you’ll likely abandon 100% work-from-home and stop short of 100% return-to-the- office. Just as either model causes operational problems, so does this hybrid model. If you’re looking to bring back (or develop) an environment that incubates creative collaboration, mentoring, the fun, people-side of the workplace, and a sense of belonging, you need a plan that anticipates problems and mitigates them. Here’s our checklist.

By Ellen Koskinen-Dodgson

Ellen Koskinen-Dodgson is President and Managing Partner of TMC IT and Telecom Consulting Inc. She is an IT and Telecommunications Management Consultant, electrical engineer, author, speaker, media resource and Expert Witness.

What Kind of Normal?

No matter whether your staff will be working from home or from the office, there are many issues that need to be addressed in order to “get back to normal”. Other articles this month examine a number of these issues.

Many organizations are taking a step back from the idea of “normal” in light of their pandemic experience. “Business as usual” might not be the best approach for 2021. There might be a better way to operate.

They’re reimagining the office from an employee point of view as they realize that the best employees are valuable assets. These employees should be retained as they will help to transform the organization.

Employee Point of View

So if the best employees are to be hired and retained, they first need to be understood. Studies have shown that, more than money, people who love their jobs are looking for:

Organizational visioning should include this and related information.

Checklist

  1. Develop and follow a plan to create a safe and healthy workplace. Safety is a foundational and legal requirement.
    This may include, while social distancing is still required, staggered schedules, some mandated work from home and mitigation plans for natural places of congestion like elevator lobbies and lunch rooms.
  2. Establish policies to support a safe and healthy workplace and find a way to deal with violators. If violators “get away” with rule breaking, rule-following employees feel unfairly treated and unsafe.
  3. Implement technology that makes it easy to connect with staff that are in the local office, at home, walking down the street or working half way around the world. The more natural it feels, the better the results.

Remote workers usually miss out on the informal coffee room or hallway chat that sometimes include critical information about office politics or changes to project requirements. To support better communication, the best technology and processes are needed.

Making it Happen

Bring in professional help for visioning and to assess employee/team needs. Evaluate your existing or planned technology in this light.

If you’d like to comment on this article or explore these ideas further, contact me at .

This article was published in the January 2021 edition of The TMC Advisor
- ISSN 2369-663X Volume:8 Issue:1

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