While many people are returning to the office, it would be a mistake to say that things have returned to normal. In fact, that traditional “normal” might just not exist any longer.
Instead, many companies are adopting hybrid work schedules. By doing this, they are better able to maintain social distancing practices. These methods also appeal to workers who have learned they can be just as productive without coming into the office each day — sometimes, even more so!
Of course, all of this creates some new challenges and opportunities. The businesses that handle this successfully will take a strategic approach. If you want to use limited shared office time in the most strategic way possible, here are some tips to follow.
Set Priorities
You’ve decided it’s time to bring your team back to the office, but you need to be cautious at the same time, so you limit the number of people who are scheduled to be in the office on any particular day. To do that, you’ll have to decide who should return to the office and for how long.
It’s time to set priorities. Identify the roles and team members that truly need to be in the office to be effective. Next, consider who should be in the office full-time or as close to it as possible. Eventually, you should have an idea of who needs to return as soon as possible and who can continue to work remotely.
Once you have this information, you can begin planning the logistics of reopening your office safely without impacting productivity. Of course, you might have to consider who has been vaccinated, as well!
Rethink the Office Space
Many offices are now running at a reduced occupancy. In the long term, this may force companies to rethink how much space they actually need. In the short term, it’s the perfect time to reconfigure your office space to work for your team.
What can you do with fewer people and more room? Some options are:
- Creating more communal space
- Providing workers with larger, personal work areas
- Adding tables, sofas, loungers, and other furniture to create adjustable workspaces
- Offering outdoor work areas
Do you want to integrate workers back into the office successfully and maintain employee engagement? Create an office space that allows them to be productive, safe, and comfortable.
Make Returning to the Office Make Sense
Imagine that you’ve been working remotely for 18 months. You receive an email from your team leader informing you that you will be returning to work now that you’ve been vaccinated. You’re given a schedule instructing you to report to the office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and alternating Fridays. This might mean:
- Taking on a morning and evening commute
- Working in closer proximity with others during a pandemic that hasn’t fully been eradicated
- Reconfiguring your daily schedule (again)
All of this might be worth it if returning to the office is beneficial to you. For example, if you truly enjoy a more communal work environment or you can access technology that you can’t at home, you might enjoy the change. On the other hand, it is probably going to be frustrating if you simply return to work to do things you can easily do at home.
Rather than making unilateral decisions about returning to the office, consider each person’s role and how they can be most productive. Use that to determine who needs to come back to the office and who can largely be left to work from home. This will be better received than arbitrarily requiring everyone to return.
Give the Office a New Role
What is the purpose of your office? Pre-pandemic, you might have said that it’s a place where your employees come to work each day. That was accurate a year ago — now, it may be time to rethink the space.
After 18 months or so of working from home, most people are very aware of the benefits of remote work. This is the perfect time to focus on the positives of returning to work.
What does the office have to offer that people can’t get at home? The answer to that question is going to vary from one workplace to another, but the following elements will likely create a common theme:
Technology
Whether it’s 3D printers, lightning-fast network speeds, conference rooms with smart boards, or top-of-the-line telecommunications equipment, some technologies can only be accessed from within the office.
Community
Is it possible to build a positive work culture without in-person interaction? Yes, but it’s challenging. In fact, one of the most common complaints about remote work is the lack of connection with coworkers.
It turns out that those impromptu break room conversations and monthly birthday celebrations truly do have a beneficial impact on morale.
Collaboration
While technologies like Zoom were true lifesavers during the pandemic, they also had a number of limitations. In many instances, meetings that were intended to be collaborative might have unintentionally become lectures. Technology issues often made it difficult for everyone to participate fully or be understood by others.
Contrast that with in-person meetings. While these aren’t nearly as convenient, they offer a dynamic that often leads to useful discussion, shared ideas, and creative solutions.
Moving into the future, it may be better to think of the office as a communal, multi-use space for team members to use when they need to connect with their workers, use technology that isn’t available to them, or hold collaborative sessions with their teammates.
Final Thoughts
If you take a thoughtful approach to things, prioritize employee needs, and come in willing to think of the office in new ways, you can make limited shared office time work to your benefit. Even better, you may be able to create an office environment that truly allows your team to work together like they never have before.
