Many teams are making their initial forays back to the office this summer. They’re embarking on their first commutes, fishing out their keys and lanyards, and seeing their colleagues’ faces in the flesh for the first time since the world shut down back in 2020.

This isn’t just any old Monday, though. To successfully and safely return to work, many offices and teams will need to enact a kind of transformation. Anxieties are running high, after all, and employees’ work worlds have turned upside down — meaning expectations surrounding the office environment have changed drastically.

New demands are being placed on companies’ digital capabilities in particular, meaning many smaller and midsize businesses will need to make investments in their technology to cater to the new nature of work. Case in point: Companies are reporting that the digitization of their portfolios and processes has been accelerated by as much as seven years during the pandemic.

Even if you’re managing a smaller business, you can certainly make this rapid reacclimation work for everyone. Don’t just lope back to the office with the same old backpack, though — use this opportunity to invest in your technology stack and make your team feel reenergized. Here’s where you can start:

1. PLACE EMPLOYEE COMFORT AT THE FOREFRONT OF YOUR RETURN-TO-OFFICE PLANS
Whether it’s implementing safety measures to keep virus worries at bay or installing new technology to improve air quality, making employees feel more comfortable at work is a great first step toward reinvigorating your office environment. Workplace tools such as the Comfy app, for example, allow teams to track office occupancy, reserve meeting rooms and desks, and stay on top of local health guidelines.

Research suggests that productivity is correlated with personal comfort. So if you give team members the ability to control their surroundings — air temperature, lighting, ventilation, music, and so on — they’ll likely feel a greater sense of ownership over their working day and their success.

2. BOOST YOUR CONNECTIVITY
Remember: Employees are transitioning from remote working — where they have access to their own personal devices all the time — to the office, which can feel more rigid. You can increase your team’s productivity by giving employees free rein to connect to work content however they prefer.

Could you design, say, a conference room where multiple devices can access slides on the fly? This could allow teams to edit and collaborate in ways that make sense for them. Microsoft, for instance, is creating “Team Rooms” that include technology that collects high-quality audio and video and transmits it to remote employees to make collaboration and communication with all team members easier.

3. ELEVATE YOUR VIDEO EXPERIENCE
Video will be an integral part of office life: Whether you’re connecting from different spaces in the building, keeping your team partially remote, or just trying to boost morale, you can use video to keep sharing as you work.

To make this a success, you need to set up your rooms in a way that accommodates a strong video experience. First, make sure your conference rooms are stocked with high-quality cameras so you can capture meetings and share seamlessly with the rest of the team. Then, empower employees working remotely to elevate their own tech at home: Send them great-quality microphones and headsets, and maybe a second monitor so they can stay connected to project content as they talk to clients.

4. INVEST IN MEMORABLE DIGITAL SIGNAGE
We’re all pretty digital-savvy right now, but the trend is accelerating as we speak, meaning we’ll see more and more monitors and digital dashboards around the office. Digital signage can be truly valuable when it comes to communicating company messages, whether that’s getting clear about safety protocols, celebrating a client win, or sending a morale booster during that after-lunch slump. It can also be a vehicle to distribute some of that much-needed artwork around the building, adding a nice color pop. All in all, digital signage is a surface that can shift to suit the mood you need and keep your office feeling up to snuff.

5. PREP FOR WORK’S NEW NORMAL WITH DIGITAL CHECK-INS
Digital check-ins, using apps or QR codes, are the latest frontier in keeping a working team and its clients connected. For example, with digital check-ins, the team can receive an alert when there’s a new visitor to the office, giving them a chance to say hello and make a great impression. Employees could also send URLs to visitors before they plan to arrive, allowing them to start the check-in process at home. This is a great first step toward bigger automation endeavors to elevate your customer experience, such as having customized welcoming message appear for guests as they walk into your facility.

Or, thinking of new office safety requirements, you can also keep track of any health incidents. If an employee has the flu, you can give her deskmates a heads-up. I anticipate we’ll start seeing more digital check-in services in the very near future and that the software will actually come down in price. With this in mind, look out for opportunities to integrate it.

With vaccinations creeping up and virus levels stabilizing in the U.S., returning to the office might seem inevitable — but we don’t have to view it with that dreaded back-to-school feeling. Investing in digital solutions could help your employees feel like they’re moving forward rather than backward. How will you use tech to energize your team’s IRL reunion?

Scott Schoeneberger is the managing partner at Bluewater, a design-forward technology company that helps craft moments that connect and inspire.