Are you ready to return to work? Over the past year many companies have learned that their employees don’t need to be in the office five days a week in order to be productive. An unprecedented number of people are working fully remote, some have returned to work, and many are doing a combination of both—the “hybrid workplace” model.
Employers need to be prepared and flexible, both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether employees are returning to the workplace, telecommuting long-term, or a hybrid of both, businesses need up-to-date policies in order to adhere to health and safety guidelines and respond to any potential outbreaks.
Here are some resources to help guide you through your return to work during these uncharted times.
Are you ready to return to work?
In order to truly understand if you are ready to return to the office, you will need to ask yourself some key questions to assess the safest way to return.
When is the best time to return to the office?
If you decide to start bringing employees back to the office, you’ll be responsible for providing a safe work environment. Be sure to follow state and local guidelines for masks and social distancing, and consider taking extra steps for sanitation like hand sanitizer stations throughout the office.
Who should return to the workplace?
A staged return is usually the smartest approach. It is highly recommended that employers continue to allow some employees to work from home while reopening the office space to small groups or cohorts of employees.
How do I create a safe working environment?
Many businesses screen employees with temperature checks, COVID tests, or questionnaires. This helps prevent someone who is sick or who has been in contact with someone who is sick from coming to the office.
Return-to-Work Precautions
As a company returning to work, you will need to take precautions in order to comply with local, state, and federal regulations and guidelines. Some important questions to ask yourself are…
- Will employees be screened before returning to work?
- How are employees notified of changes to their work environments?
- What policies need to change?
- How will you address employee concerns about returning to work?
These questions have significant implications on a business’s compliance with the law, and more importantly, on the health and wellbeing of employees.
Return-to-Work Solutions
At SixFifty, we are here to help your business find the solutions for the new work day, whether that means returning to worksites, allowing employees to telecommute and work from home, or a hybrid. SixFifty partnered with the top employment experts at Wilson Sonsini to help you assess your back-to-work readiness, produce back-to-work policies, and track your employees’ health so your company can stay compliant with local and federal COVID-19 guidelines.
We thought through some of the key issues to consider when returning your workforce to the office. We’ll run you through some questions regarding your business and then give you guidance to help your company cover the bases.
With SixFifty’s Return-to-Work assessment, you answer questions about your back-to-work readiness and create documents that provide guidance on how to move forward. This tool outlines how employees should return to the office now that authorities have updated COVID-19 restrictions for fully vaccinated individuals, and outlines how employees can work from home.
SixFifty Can Help
Sixfifty regularly updates our Return-to-Work Tool to reflect the latest CDC guidelines, requirements and recommendations from federal health authorities and agencies, as well as covered state and local governments.
Return-to-Work Demo
There’s a lot to consider when deciding whether or not you should return your employees to the office. Fortunately, SixFifty has solutions to all of these problems. If you want to learn more about SixFifty’s Return-to-Work toolset, schedule a demo today!
