You’re Ready To Go Back To The Office—But Is It Ready For You?
You’re Ready To Go Back To The Office—But Is It Ready For You?
Like many small to mid-sized businesses, the team at Sam Clar left our offices 183 days ago—and aside from a few supply runs to pick up essential items, we haven’t been back since. As with countless other companies across the country and around the world, our organization has adapted to life outside the office. But there have been some elements of traditional office life that we’ve missed, as well—while we’re proven it’s possible to successfully operate remotely, the past six months have proven that an office is more than a physical workspace. It provides many things that shared Zoom screens just can’t—collaboration, team-building, and a much-needed physical separation between home and work life. For these reasons and many more, our experience is that reports that “the office is dead” are premature—and often misguided.
To be sure, many organizations will not have the luxury of staying out of the office until the summer of 2021, the way some tech companies have announced, or switching to a permanent remote model. For those who know a return to the office is imminent and necessary—especially those who work outside the virtual-friendly tech industry—this means that planning a safe, healthy strategy for yourself and your workers is essential. Returning to a physical office space before a full resolution to the pandemic is in place requires thoughtful consideration and risk-mitigation—something we at Sam Clar have been thinking about a lot.
Planning Your Covid Response Strategy
With the safety and wellbeing of the companies we serve in mind. our team has developed a Covid-19 Response Program, focusing on four core areas that impact your workplace:
Having successfully implemented our program for a variety of organizations (from small to large businesses, and every size in between), we have learned that there is no “right” plan for everyone—however, all plans involve components from the four core areas above to set companies up for success.
Beginning the Planning Process
While implementing a return plan can seem daunting, our experts have identified a few key notes that can help you and your staff transition more easily to in-office work.
Prioritize safety and comfort: Keep your employees and customers top-of-mind as you plan. Their safety and comfort is essential to your business, and reminding them that they are your first priority is essential.
Share your vision: Oftentimes, visual aids communicate more effectively than words. Share revised “safe-distancing” space plans with your team, and use space-defining decals wherever possible to encourage healthy habits and offer gentle reminders.
Remember that less is more: Rather than “taping off” extra workstations or chairs in the hopes that they won’t be used, physically remove them from the office. This removes any temptation and helps you create a feeling of openness and safe social distance.
Look toward the future: Though the future feels uncertain now, it bears repeating that this current “phase” most likely won’t be permanent. Develop a plan that fits your needs for right now, and will be able to adapt to your next phase of work in the future.
Start the Conversation
It’s never too late to start planning. If you’re interested in learning how the office experts at Sam Clar can assist with your next phase of work, click here to get started.