Return to work policies are a new COVID-related minefield for business owners to negotiate. As more states make COVID control measures less restrictive or optional, the “requirements” of a safe workplace, and what we can demand of employees, are becoming even less clear than before.
The companies I work with range from essential industries, where full production has never paused, to tech companies where their office hasn’t seen a live human being in over a year. All are wrestling with return to work or relaxation of restrictions policies. After dozens of conversations, here are a few guidelines.
You Aren’t a Judge
Perhaps the most important rule for staying out of trouble is to avoid making any decisions about what constitutes a “valid” employee issue or excuse. One employee’s child care challenges may seem more difficult than another’s. Some children have returned to school, others are being taught remotely. A number of daycare centers have reopened but many haven’t.
Some folks are still fearful of going out at all. Others have been socializing for months. You may have employees who fear mingling with those who haven’t been as diligent about protection. Nonetheless, returning to the workplace is a line in the sand. If you are going to demand the presence of some staff, the criteria have to be the same for everyone.
If you will permit remote working for some employees, it should be defined by specific job descriptions. For example, if customer service people have to be present, then all customer service people need to be present. Allowing telemarketers to work from home should mean that they all can. (We will deal with remote working requirements in a moment.)
Remember, if an employee was hired for a job requiring his or her presence in the workplace, it’s legitimate to say that the job still requires that presence in the absence of a pandemic.
Remote Working Policies
Remote working is a counterforce to company culture and employee retention. Severing the social fabric of the workplace is perhaps the most damaging effect of remote work.
That said, over 90% of employers say they don’t expect to return all employees to in-person physical presence, ever. Every survey of remote workers says that they would like to go to an office two days a week, but thirty percent of them say that having to return 100% of the time would be a reason to seek another job.
If you will permit some employees to work continue working remotely, it’s time to define the parameters.
- Can the employee demonstrate an appropriate, dedicated remote workspace? When we went home with little warning or preparation, a lot of offices were on kitchen tables. That is probably not satisfactory for long-term professionalism.
- Are there measurements of productivity? Some employees were more productive at home, but others were far less so. What metrics will determine whether or not an employee retains the flexibility of remote work?
- Is there any required presence at your workplace? Some companies have specific days for everyone, or for sub-groups of employees. It should be plain that required days are just that. Attendance isn’t optional.
Infection Control Policies
Thankfully, it appears that the difficulty of proving a point of contagion has scared off most of the personal injury attorneys. You still need to demonstrate appropriate caution, both for liability protection as well as for the confidence of concerned employees.
- If employees are utilizing the same space on different days, demonstrate a commitment to sanitizing in between users.
- Have each employee sign an absence-of-symptoms form and check temperatures upon entry every day.
- Allow space for social distancing in meetings. If sufficient space isn’t available, use a video conference application even for internal meetings.
Here are the CDC infection guidelines.
Return to Work
Even with clear policies and procedures, coming back will be disruptive, and not “just like before.” Here are a few unrelated tips some others have used.
- If you are reconfiguring space, think carefully about the real need (besides prestige) for private offices. One employer has told executives “If you absolutely require full-time space dedicated for your sole use, we will require that you be here full time.”
- Many days can be wasted as employees introduce or reintroduce themselves to one another and catch up on personal news. Consider having a restart event, where each employee answers 4 or 5 questions (either together or virtually) about their time away and changes in their lives.
- Requiring vaccination is a tricky area, but one employer is making them a prerequisite for paid quarantine time after exposure. Those who been vaccinated will be paid until they receive negative results from an immediate test. If you haven’t, your 10 to 14 days quarantine is unpaid leave.
Return to work is a far more complex issue than just naming the date. Some preparation and advance communications will save a lot of time and headaches when the day arrives.
