Engaging With Employees As They Transition Into Post-Pandemic Workspaces

4 ways to keep employees supported, engaged, and invested in their role

One year after the world shifted to remote work, businesses are beginning to see the return to physical offices on the horizon. The timing and necessity of returning to the office will vary depending on industry and company structure, but a common denominator for all companies is that they will be faced with the challenge of guiding their employees through change. If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that employees are the foundation of every company, and supporting them is crucial to business success and continuity. 
 

When transitioning back to physical offices, companies must prioritize their employees' safety and how their employees' needs may have changed from the last time they worked in the office; it won’t exactly be a return to the way things were before the Covid-19 pandemic. Things have drastically changed regarding employees’ workplace expectations for safety, personal schedules, and at-home responsibilities to name a few. Being cognizant of these changes will enable companies to create agile workforce planning strategies to lead companies into a post-Covid-19 pandemic work environment. 

As companies continue to navigate workspace transitions, here are four key ways to keep employees supported, engaged, and invested in their role: 

Working remotely indefinitely may not be feasible for many companies, so planning a return to physical office space is now a top priority. Even if the need to return is pressing, the most important thing a company should focus on throughout the process is the safety of its employees and customers. Safety protocols must be clearly outlined to employees and carefully implemented. These measures will go hand-in-hand with setting clear expectations for when employees are expected to return to the office. By providing a working timeline that’s considerate of safety measures, companies can keep employees satisfied throughout the transition. Many companies will continue to work in hybrid remote work environments and will take staggering approaches to return to offices. Ensuring employees know where and when they will be expected to work is crucial.

With teams dispersed to different locations and following different timelines, communicating with teams and managers is an important way to keep employees on track and engaged. Frequent touchpoints will keep employees aligned on when they are expected to return to the office. With many moving parts, strong communication and transparency from management will ensure employees have strong relationships with the company, their team, and their role.

Employee expectations, needs, and their home environments have all most likely changed since working remotely. Another variable to consider is offering employees different working hours to help them accommodate their transition to a new environment. By giving employees as much flexibility as possible, companies strengthen employee relationships and trust. Providing employees with agency over their own schedule and work environment enables them to focus on performing their job to the best of their abilities.

Companies can have strong communication and offer flexibility, but if they aren’t recognizing the employees who are making the new situation work -- and who are championing the transition -- then they are missing a huge opportunity to reinforce and encourage similar behavior. Companies should recognize the employees who are excelling and provide incentives for engagement with their peers.

By recognizing the challenges that employees are going through and being empathetic to their new environments, companies will strengthen employee relationships and promote engagement. In the end, employees will always remember that their company supported them and be more invested in the company’s long-term success.

Elaine Coffman is the VP of Human Resources at Majorel. Visit www.majorel.com  Connect Elaine Coffman Follow @majorel_global