It came as a shock to a lot of employees when they had to stay home and keep working due to social distancing policies. They had no choice but to obey guidelines to fight the coronavirus. It was awkward at first, but it eventually became comfortable. However, this setup will soon be over once the economy reopens. Businesses will operate as usual, and working from home might not be an option anymore. Getting back to an office environment could be challenging for the employees after staying home over the past few months. These tips will help your employees gradually get back to work.
Give them time to adjust
You can’t expect everyone to be in the mood to work again. Give employees time to adjust until they get used to the new environment. For some of them, getting up early is already a challenge. Others also have to send their children to school or take care of an elderly loved one. Let your employees find a rhythm that will allow them to feel more comfortable with work. Don’t be too demanding on the first few weeks since it will put everyone under immense pressure.
Change strict policies
Working from home proved that you could do something even without going to the office. Therefore, it helps if you try to relax your policies and accommodate your employees. For instance, there’s no need to have a strict dress code to be productive. Allow employees to wear whatever will make them feel comfortable at work. You might also allow some of them to go home early if they can get things done quickly. Working from home proved that it’s not the amount of time you spend working, but the quality of the job done. Relaxing some policies could also help employees going through a tough time.
Don’t go down to business right away
There’s no need to focus on doing a lot on the first few days of work. You can use that opportunity to bond with the employees. Let everyone feel relaxed and comfortable first. You can even host a team-building activity. It helps your employees get to know each other again. Being away for a few months might make them forget what it’s like to work with others. Besides, you can’t force your employees to work hard again if their minds are still elsewhere.
Celebrate being on the other side
Not all companies were lucky enough to survive the pandemic. After business closure orders, a lot of them ended up getting bankrupt. For your business to survive and retain employees, it means that you have a lot to be grateful of. When things get better, you can host a fairground hire like the ones offered at https://www.wearetricycle.co.uk/. It’s an opportunity to have fun and relax with the people who made everything possible. You have a lot to be thankful for, and celebrating through a fairground here is an excellent way to show it.