Beyond Handwashing: Workflow Issues

In the coming months, the new coronavirus vaccines, distancing, etc., new pandemic-related workflow changes could be much more important. Workflow changes can cause employee uncertainty about roles and processes, which can lead to job dissatisfaction and customer complaints. Here is our advice.

By Guy Robertson

Guy Robertson is a senior planner at TMC and an instructor at the Justice Institute of BC and Langara College. He has written five books and numer- ous articles on corporate security and disaster planning, and offered workshops and lectures at conference

Workflows

For many reasons, our workflows have changed over the past year. Workflows are the combinations of scheduling, tasks, and procedures that result in getting our jobs done.

As we try to get back to the office, it’s unlikely that the old workflows will be re-established quickly, if ever. Office culture will have changed and some co-workers will not reappear.

The Challenge

A big challenge for many organizations will be re-connecting with key customers and stakeholders, many of whom face post-pandemic problems of their own. Stress can mount: some old contacts have moved on, some key suppliers might have gone out of business and deliveries and important documents may have gone astray.

Employee’s uncertainty about their roles and which processes they should follow can lead to job dissatisfaction, reduced productivity, customer complaints, and loss of your organization’s reputation.

Solving these challenges will require the right workflows.

The Plan

You must prepare for new ways of conducting business, establishing processes that will support efficient workflows for all employees, no matter where they work. To plan for the evolution of new processes, the following steps will be helpful:

• Review the job descriptions (JDs) of all employees. Some JDs will have been out-of-date before the pandemic. Employees might have agreed to carry out ad hoc roles and tasks as they started working from home, and the pandemic has rendered their JDs obsolete.
• Compile drafts of pro tem JDs. Pro tem tasks, those “temporary, for the time being”, tasks that were needed to keep things going during the pandemic, should be compared to the old JDs.
• Gather input from customers, employees and other stakeholders regarding their needs and expectations and the need for any supplies, equipment or software to deliver the work.
• Decide which tasks and responsibilities should be included in a new, post-pandemic JD.
• Ensure that employees have the necessary training and certification for any new tasks and processes.
• Ensure that the necessary documentation—e.g. manuals, guidelines, contracts, warranties, diagrams—have been created for users’ reference purposes.

Get ready for new workflows and more promising times.

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