5 Tips for Returning to the Workplace Following COVID-19 Absence

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Planning your conversations

It’s good to prepare when you’ve got an important conversation ahead of you.

It’s good to prepare when you’ve got an important conversation ahead of you.

Congratulations. You’ve survived changing the normal course of business. However, there is still work to be done (specific to the pandemic) in your organization.

For some of us, it’s time to return to the workplace. Don’t miss this important point: The way you engage your employees in this process will communicate volumes to your team, your clients, and all stakeholders.

It’s important to use a process to move forward. Why?

  • Because the CARES Act and FFCRA have changed your organization’s responsibilities,

  • Because moving forward will likely involve some difficult (or at least vulnerable) conversations that not everyone handles well, and

  • Because moving forward will present opportunities for tax credits and forgivable loan amounts… but only if you prepare proper documentation for the bank and SBA.

Whether ending work from home or returning from layoffs, here’s a process ThistleSea recommends. Please adapt it as needed to suit your organization:

  1. Create a back-to-the-workplace schedule. Start by noting the future date people will be back at the worksite. Back up several days and note the date you will hold back-to-the-workplace conversations that will be documented.

  2. Use a conversation template. We’ve got a great one here, or you can create your own. (We suggest beginning the conversation by asking the staff member if it’s okay if you use a worksheet to help guide your talk.) Prepare by carefully reading over the form prior to each conversation. You’ll be asking specific questions and listening carefully for the answers.

  3. Capture the content of the conversation. The template makes it easier to capture the same information from each person. Your conversations may wander a bit – people want to talk! But you must learn many things during this call (so that you can substantiate later), and it’s problematic if you rely on memory or skip over important points.

  4. Evaluate the conversation after it’s over. Ask some questions as you review the completed template. Is the staff member comfortable returning? Are they asking for any accommodations? Did they raise any points or questions the organization hadn’t considered? Is there a reason they cannot return to the workplace? Is that reason one that has implications for your organization’s PPP loan or FFCRA paid leave? When you review several completed templates, you will begin to see a picture of what’s happening with your staff and thus, what will happen in your organization’s near-future.

  5. Take action. Note that the staff member has a confirmed date to return. Or, based on your conversation, determine what accommodations can be made. If the employee needs to take leave, ask them to complete a form that indicates that (we’ve got one here for you). If several staff members have raised the same issue, how can the organization respond?

Returning to the workplace seems… routine. And maybe even mundane or obvious. But if your organization is intentional about the process, you’ll communicate to your stakeholders that you care for their wellbeing, their families and their futures. We are available to help.