For some people, working from home has proven to be more productive, more cost-efficient for those not burning through fuel on long commuted, and also a lot less stressful.
However, some people thrive from working in the office, and bouncing off their work peers. For some people, their work life is a big part of their social life, and for others, being able to leave work in their place of work, can be a pretty big deal.
However, with recent guidance to scrap the work-from-home rules, how can HR professionals and business owners ensure that returning to the office will not only be safe, but also be a place where people will want to return to?
- The Correct Office Equipment
Some people at home may have invested in new office chairs, new office desks, new laptop stands etc, as they were more conscious of their posture at home and how working from their bed or dining room table all day, may affect their backs.
It’s important that you supply the right office equipment for employees to ensure that they’re not going to suffer from back ache, eye ache and wrist problems.
Online stores such as Posturite offer office equipment that’s made with posture in mind, and also a healthy-office working life. They sell the likes of ergonomic chairs, standing desks and pedestals.
- Wellbeing and Anxiety Coaching
Some employees may be fearing the return to the office after having so much time working from their home. Employees may be fearing mingling with a lot of people or may feel uncertain about changes in the workplace, which is why it’s important to ensure employees feel as comfortable as possible.
Mental health should be priority for HR professionals for many reasons. Of course, you want employees to feel happy about coming to work, and not see it as a place of dread, but having happy and less-anxious employees will also improve productivity, so it’s a win-win.
Those in the creative, marketing and hospitality industries have suffered a lot over the past year and a half, and a lot of their worries may come from what they’ve seen in the media, or how they’ve witnessed other marketing and creative industries move.
If your company is in a good position, then it’s important to remind staff that their job is safe and that the company is moving upwards, as this may help them destress about any financial or redundancy worries that they’re holding onto.
- Make the Return Exciting
A lot of companies have been opening the office with small parties, or after-work drinks. Making the return to work into some sort of event will make it feel like more than just work, making the first day back, especially for new people, a lot more easygoing and comfortable for some people.
Hosting a pizza-party for lunch, or even just throwing up some party decorations, will certainly improve the return other than just rushing everyone back to their desks to get on with work straight away.
Pure Property Finance compiled a playlist that listed the world’s most popular office songs. These are the songs that were most commonly featured in Spotify playlists created specifically for offices.
Plus, it will give the newbies chance to talk to each other, if you’ve had any new members of staff over the pandemic. This will encourage good team work and good working relationships!
According to the Government website, all employees have the right to request flexible working after working for their employer for 26 weeks. For more information on this, visit the Gov site here.