Ensuring Smooth And Safe Transition Back To The Office

Specific action steps to consider

After a long 18 months, millions of people are returning to some semblance of normalcy this fall. Children are going back to school and workers are heading back into offices, at least on a part-time basis. In the professional world, specifically, it is HR departments that are responsible for ensuring people feel safe coming back to workplaces, even as the pandemic continues. 

The problem is that many individuals aren’t aware of what safety protocols exist at their companies. A recent survey of more than 500 full-time employees found that one-third don’t know their employers’ response plans for a multitude of incidents, including workplace violence, cyberattacks and active shooter situations. 
 

However, with the right tools and resources, workers can make good decisions, stay safe and support local law enforcement in times of crisis. Educating employees and updating safety procedures are crucial to these efforts. 

While accomplishing these goals may seem like a tall order for HR departments, there are technology-based solutions that can make this transition easier. Easy to use critical communication solutions alleviate the challenges of upgrading and disseminating safety procedures without adding complexity to everyday life in the office.  

Improve Employee Engagement through Communication

Engaging employees with safety-related content will be more difficult this fall for a number of reasons. First, organizations that plan to allow remote work will have to find new ways to ensure everyone is versed and trained on the latest health and safety practices. Second, businesses are facing unique return-to-work challenges, depending on conditions in the local area. Covid-19 mandates, vaccination rates, delta variant prevalence and more all add noise to the task of keeping people informed. 

Given these circumstances, HR departments should consider implementing multimodal communication strategies and encourage employees to download a personal safety app for work-related updates. Multimodal communication typically involves several ways of sharing information – SMS, email, automated voice calls and desktop notifications, to name a few. Channels can be used differently to target certain audiences or communicate with varying degrees of urgency. In some cases, it can make sense for companies to allow employees to opt into their preferred channels to improve engagement.

Mobile safety apps are also an effective way to reach workers on their devices. Given that only 40% of employees check emails from their employers, safety apps often provide a better way of sharing important information. For instance, HR teams can deliver news about onsite infections, safety training, or new protocols using push notifications that are more likely to get attention from employees. They can also send out surveys to gauge how individuals are feeling on a weekly basis about their return to the office. Some mobile safety apps also have two-way communication capabilities, enabling workers to submit anonymous tips or concerns about peers not following the latest in-office policies.

Update Emergency Plans and Procedures 

Another step HR departments should take to improve office safety is to update emergency plans and procedures to align with current conditions. For example, companies adopting hybrid work models and creating additional space for social distancing may need to change floor layouts significantly. These updates should be reflected in both online documentation and on physical printouts posted throughout facilities.

Moreover, HR managers should revisit their company’s employee safety and risk prevention policies for the most recent guidance from the CDC on Covid workplace safety, OSHA on workplace violence and other updates to safety protocols. Workplace violence is already an underreported occurrence, and a turbulent transition back to the office can increase the risk of a situation that can bring potential harm to employees. 

Streamline Emergency Response via a Centralized Crisis Management System

By nature, emergencies are chaotic, and the ability of onsite personnel to respond quickly and effectively is crucial. After the initial report of an emergency, companies need a crisis management system that can reliably alert various response teams – security, police, EMS, notify organizational leadership and inform all impacted employees of the situation. In addition, emergency response plans specific to the type of incident can be activated to guide response teams to follow key protocols. 

Crisis management systems accelerate response times and help corporate security, law enforcement and other emergency response groups coordinate efforts. Well-designed platforms enable all stakeholders involved in emergency response to share data, assign roles and stay apprised on who is focusing on what. HR teams can also use crisis management systems to communicate critical updates and deliver specific action steps to employees throughout an emergency, helping them stay out of harm’s way.

Welcome Employees with a Safe New Normal This Fall 

HR managers have a difficult task ahead of them: They are charged with cultivating safe and welcoming work environments for people of all comfort levels after a long period of disruption. Rather than resort to pre-pandemic ways of promoting in-office safety, HR departments should embrace technology to accommodate hybrid work models and keep their workforce engaged and informed with targeted and timely communications to ensure their safety. With updated emergency plans and the ability to provide critical communications to employees, companies can welcome workers back this fall in complete confidence. 

Terri Mock is a Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Rave Mobile Safety. Visit www.ravemobilesafety.com Connect Terri Mock Follow @RaveMSafety