WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT  3rd Quarter Article, October 2020

As we get close to concluding one of the most contentious and unforgiving years in the modern era, now may be the time we Restore, Rebuild and Reconvene to assist our employees as they return to the brick and mortar workplace.  

The question is: what does the workforce look like as employees return from remote work to a workplace that they may not even find recognizable? It seems that an orientation to the “new normal” may be in order, focusing on the trauma of working from home with little privacy, to reimagining what the workday may look like and feel like to the employee returning from more than 6 months in home confinement in some instances.  As the Human Resources profession pivoted from the brick and mortar workforce to a remote workforce and back again, HR has been at the forefront in managing these evolving workforce paradigms.  

Now, as the reopening phases begin, employees may be coming back to the office, factory, retail store, and other locations in large numbers.  How can HR lead this transition back to the workplace in a manner in which employees feel welcomed, unafraid, nor concerned about family left at home without childcare or family care, and can focus on the workload placed in front of them?

Some items of interest that may be of assistance when bringing the workforce back to the brick and mortar workplace may include:

1. Staggard return of the workforce – in regard to essential personnel or by department

2. Orientation for people returning to the workplace – how have policies, protocol and processes changed in the workplace since coming back from remote work

3. Lunch and Learn Trainings – focused on what the new norm in the workplace might look like, feel like

4. Discussion/Coffee Hours with the Leadership Team – information flow from the leadership team to employees focusing on the concerns they may have that impact their work situation

5. Wellness and EAP Programs – focused on dealing with the emotion of returning to the workplace, dealing with family life and refocusing on how to get the work completed in a “new normal” workplace

6. COVID Safety Protocol Training – Attention given to what may be the redesign of the workplace, new social distancing protocol and hygiene and mask wearing requirements

7. Building Community – creating special events that bring the workforce back together, not just to work together but to recreate a community in which the employees feel safe and comfortable working together and collaborating together.  This can be created by offering afternoon snack breaks, breakfast gatherings, after work social hours, and other events that create community and bring people together

HR leaders may have to remember that this is when the workplace comes together again as a face-to-face community.

Some other considerations to reflect upon when bringing employees back to the workplace:

1.  Putting together a solid plan to help employees and those served by the organization (customers, clients and guests) feel safe, secure and welcoming at all times

2. Understanding childcare, home schooling and family focused needs when bringing employees back from remote work

3. Bringing employees back to work at the workplace, if they are not able to work remotely, instead of laying people off, so they may continue to work

4. Following strict CDC (Center for Disease Control) and your state Health Department’s guidelines for bringing employees back to work at your place of business

5. Developing a possible 4 phased approach to re-introducing employees back to the workplace over time:

Phase 1 – Developing safety and social distancing protocols – including training

Phase 2 – Bringing employees that cannot work remotely (from home) back to work – with safety and social distancing protocols in place

Phase 3 – Reintroducing employees to the place of business on a rotating bases – 2 to 3 days a week at the place of business, and 2 to 3 days working remotely – with safety and social distancing protocols in place

Phase 4 – Everyone is back to work at the place of business
NOTE:  Phase 5 – A resurgence of the pandemic requires everyone to work remotely again… have a plan in place to transition employees back to remote work if needed.

WORKFORCE TODAY - 2^nd Quarter Article, May 2020

It has been several weeks now since COVID-19 changed our lives, towards our work, family, friends and community.  As Human Resources Professionals, we must be very proud at how our HR community responded to this pandemic, pivoting to serve our constituents so they may be successful during this time of remote work, remote education and specialized customer assistance. As we continue with remote work through part of the summer or longer, we have to remember that there is a time when we will come together again as a face-to-face community.

As you prepare your organization to come back to work in the coming months, either in a slow, deliberate process, or in a more timely manner, there are many considerations that need to be addressed.  Some of those considerations include putting together a solid plan to help employees and those served by the organization (customers, clients and guests) feel safe, secure and welcoming to all.  

Some elements to consider when developing a “Return to Work Plan” include:

1. Incorporating constituents as part of the development of the plan, so employees have a voice (Department Representatives, Selected Employees, Union Reps, Building Reps, Members of the Emergency Ops Team, Outside Constituents – Board Members, etc)

2. Understanding childcare, summer camps, home schooling and family focused needs when bringing employees back from remote work

3. Keeping employees on remote work for a longer period of time, if that process is working to serve the organization’s mission and outcomes

4. Bringing employees back to work at the place of business, if they are not able to work remotely, instead of laying people off, so they may continue to work (with safety protocols in place)

5. Following strict CDC (Center for Disease Control) and your state’s Health Department’s guidelines for bringing employees back to work at your place of business

6. Developing a possible 4 phased approach to re-introducing employees back to the workplace:

   1. Phase 1 – Developing safety and social distancing protocols – including training

   2. Phase 2 – Bringing employees that cannot work from home back to work – with safety and social distancing protocols in place

   3. Phase 3 – Reintroducing employees to the place of business on a rotating bases – 2 to 3 days a week at the place of business, and 2 to 3 days working remotely – with safety and social distancing protocols in place

   4. Phase 4 – Everyone is back to work at the place of business – pandemic subsided or a vaccine is developed

   5. NOTE:  Phase 5 – A resurgence of the pandemic requires everyone to work remotely again…have a plan in place to transition employees back to remote work if needed

Below are some resources that are very useful when developing a “Return to Work Plan”

1. RI SHRM’s own Director of Legislative Affairs, Gregory Tumolo, Esq, developed an intensive COVID-19 Resource Center that offers a wide variety of information on COVID-19 and other important information - https://rishrm.wildapricot.org/COVID-19-Resource-Center

2. Training Videos

   1. General Coronavirus Training (Precautions & Preventative Measures) (Length: 1 minute, 28 seconds): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EALUx3LwfRA 

   2. Help Prevent COVID-19 with Social Distancing (Length: 30 seconds): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkW72NwcOUg 

   3. How to Wear a Mask (Length: 1 minute, 20 seconds): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5ZZkSTdbRs  

   4. How to Wash your Hands Properly (1 minute, 26 seconds): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezf2z9e_9lY

3. Massachusetts Return to the Workplace Guide – May transverse to RI Return to Work

   1. https://my.aimnet.org/Product-Details?productid=%7bBAE113F4-5C99-EA11-8109-000D3A0DE1A1%7d&_cldee=bW9zdWxsaXZhbkBvbmVzb3V0aGNvYXN0LmNvbQ%3d%3d&recipientid=contact-bede9e82da83e91180fb000d3a0de1a1-b0e10968389743e5a8e2b16b343c862d&esid=7c4a9294-a698-ea11-8105-000d3a03faaf

4. Rhode Island Return to Work Guide & Phase 1 Information

   1. https://health.ri.gov/covid/for/business/

   2. https://www.littler.com/publication-press/publication/reopening-rhode-island-phase-1-practical-guide-employers

   3. http://www.dlt.state.ri.us/pdfs/COVID-19%20Workplace%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

5. Rhode Island Guide on COVID-19 Suspected Cases in the Workplace

   1. http://www.hr.ri.gov/documents/policies/COVID-19/FAQ%20COVID-19.pdf

6. CDC Guidelines to Reopening Schools, Businesses and Transit Lines

   1. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/14/856483424/cdc-issues-decision-tools-to-guide-reopening-of-schools-businesses-transit

7. Dealing with Zoom Fatigue

   1. https://news.northeastern.edu/2020/05/11/zoom-fatigue-is-real-heres-why-youre-feeling-it-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/

8. Office Life After COVID-19

   1. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/5dm7pk/youre-not-going-back-to-normal-office-life-for-a-long-long-time

For more information on these and other topics, please feel free to contact the Workforce Development Committee at RI-SHRM at ri.shrm.workforce@gmail.com