Reflect, re-set and start as you mean to go on

​During the month of June I seemed to spend most of my time advising clients about restructures and redundancies.  Lots of businesses were anxious about how to reduce their overheads safely and in line with employment law and they wanted help with managing the redundancy consultation processes.  I know there are other companies that are waiting, hoping they can avoid redundancies and that business will have picked up by the time the furlough scheme ends in October.
At the same time, most organisations are also planning how, when and who they get back into the workplace.  Employers are anxious to ensure the return to work is safe and they want to reassure employees who are often worried about coming out of the lockdown bubble.  So, how should you approach a return to the workplace?  

Well, if the last three months have shown us anything, it’s the importance of human connection.  The way employers have treated their employees during lockdown will be remembered and it’s why the return to work after lockdown is a chance to re-set, to reflect on what’s most important to your company and to start as you mean to go on.  One way to do this, is to engage with your employees and involve them in the plans for a return to the workplace.  Here are some suggestions on how you might do this:

• Start to assess your workplace in line with the Covid-19 guidelines and the Health & Safety at Work Act – a risk assessment using a simple RAG (red, amber, green) rating is a good place to start
• Let staff know that you are starting this process and ask for their input – they may have particular concerns or useful ideas and suggestions
• Send out a RTW (Return to Work) questionnaire to staff.  This should include:
  • Care-giving responsibilities
  • Travel plans to and from work
  • A health update
  • Assessment of their readiness to return to the workplace
• Involve staff in planning a RTW orientation – how could people collaborate on this?  What sorts of information do they want?  What have been the learnings during lockdown and working from home and how can these be carried forward?

Communication has become so important for us all during lockdown but when your mental health is depleted (and show me someone whose mental health isn’t depleted at the moment!) there can be a tendency to avoid communication and to retreat into our shells.  Personally speaking, I’ve found that when I’m feeling down and I’m alone in my shell connecting with someone whether that’s friends, family or work colleagues is what gets me back on track again.  As an employer, the same applies.  If in doubt, connect with your employees, communicate, then communicate some more, and even over-communicate!  Asking staff for their views on the return to work, discussing their concerns, working with them to mitigate any risks they are worried about is the way to get agreement.

Reflect on what has changed during lock down, re-set how you want to run your business and if that means getting better at communicating with staff – be honest about that.  And start as you mean to go on.  #communication-is-king #collaboration #we can do this! 

Ruth George - HR Consultant
ruth@ruthgeorge.com; 07899 920075
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This is not legal advice and is provided for general information only. © Ruth George HR Consulting.