Having employees work remotely was a requirement during the early stages of the pandemic, and as the weeks went by with the spread of the virus not slowing, organizations continued the working from home arrangement.

However, countries are gradually opening up after initial lockdown measures and as government regulations and guidelines on workplace safety are being issued, organisations are slowly calling in employees back to work.

While the world is far from seeing the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a guide on how to welcome your employees back to work.

Quick Reminder

When countries went into lockdown, people had to adjust to working from home where you are not required to dress up, sit at a designated spot for a specific number of hours a day. This took some getting used to but now, your employees may find it difficult to switch back to their previous mode of working at an office.

It is thus a good idea to send them a welcome email along with a reminder of relevant company policies as well as an update on the latest policies to ensure their safety during the pandemic. This is a great way to make your employees feel welcome at work after months away but also ensure they adhere to the policies in place.

While not entirely similar, HR services like those provided by LeadHRM suggest treating the process like recruitment and onboarding, where employees are introduced to the company, culture, and policies. They also recommend sending the email a few days before your employees return to work so that they have time to prepare and even ask questions.

Welcome Gift

A welcome email can be friendly while reminding your employees of company policy, but a welcome gift can give the process a personal touch. A gift set can go a long way in making an employee feel welcome as well as appreciated.

The gift can be appropriate to current times, for instance a hand sanitizer and hygiene kit, in order to remind employees that being back at work does not mean that COVID-19 is no longer a threat or that they no longer need to adhere to safety measures.

Schedule

For many, working from home did not mean spending weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. locked in a quiet room in their house. It meant tackling household chores and responsibilities while also meeting deadlines and attending meetings. People were suddenly stripped off their daily routines and pushed to adapt to a new routine.

However, this is about to change yet again and employees will have to be nudged into their old routines.

Management development services and executive development services have always emphasised the importance of the role played by the management of an organisation in the productivity of its employees and this is where management and leadership skills can be of use.

To help your employees get used to their old routine, you can create a schedule that gives them time to adapt to their new work arrangements while also meeting deadlines and being productive.

A company must also remain flexible, especially during the initial stages of welcoming employees back. If you have made use of HR trainings by LeadHRM services, you will know why flexibility is important in an organization. Use a schedule to help employees get used to their old routine but remember that many have never had to work during a pandemic and that companies need to be flexible to some extent.

Reassurance

As excited as employees may be to return to work, the fear they may feel about their own health as well as the safety of their loved ones cannot be ignored. Employees may have concerns about how effective safety measures are and if their colleagues will adhere to them.

Reassurance in the face of these concerns is extremely important and executive management services look at how reassurance can come through organizational heads like the CEO. Thus, a message from the CEO can make employees feel confident about returning to work during the COVID-19 pandemic.