April192021
Ops Tips – Returning to the Office
Operations Chat
04.19.21 | Operations Chat
With the COVID-19 vaccines reaching more of the population, employees will be shifting back to the office at a greater rate. Although the new normal is still a bit hazy, along with remote working potentially seeing a permanent influx, the workplace will start filling up again based on employer/client requirements, employee preference, etc. For operational departments, which typically have had some of their team in the office throughout the pandemic, it’s important to be procedurally prepared to welcome all the returning workers, while mitigating any potential concerns related to COVID-19 and social distancing. Here’s some quick items to keep in mind:
- COVID-19 screening/tracking
- Ensure you have a method of COVID-19 screening in place to protect your employees and your firm, i.e., a daily COVID-19 symptom form, temperature checks, etc.
- Social distancing and health precautions
- Ensure employees are seated 6 feet apart, relocating them as needed; perhaps ask for a heads-up before they arrive, so operational teams can prepare and assign seats
- Limit capacities in cafeterias and conference rooms
- Enforce office guidelines, like wearing masks while walking around the office
- Make hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes available; reinstate cleaning vendor services
- Continuing paperless and “Clean Desk” initiatives
- Whether or not you had already taken steps to become a paperless business, one positive you may have experienced from employees working remotely is less paper flowing in/out/around the office. It’s crucial to continue in this mindset, as functioning paperlessly addresses many space and cost concerns.
- Hybrid workforce communications
- Even with more people returning to the office, there will still be some who continue to work remotely or have hybrid schedules. So it’s important to keep that in mind with regard to team communication and collaboration, i.e., Zoom-ready meetings, training, utilizing technology, etc.
A surge in employees returning to the office is inevitable, and these are just some of the ways to take active steps to be ready and safe.
Jason B. Lloyd, Chief Administrative Officer at Berdon, has more than 25 years of experience in administrative roles of increasing responsibility and complexity. A highly skilled administrative leader, Jason specializes in team building and mentoring, vendor relations and cost reduction strategies, and administrative best practices, while exhibiting a customer service and quality assurance mindset.