Return to Workplace Checklist
As promised in the recent Corp RE Advisory Services Quarterly newsletter, below are the details on How to Return to the Workplace in three easy steps. Read below for an important checklist that should provide helpful information for your use.
Step #1: Seek Organizational Alignment: Get organizational actions aligned with shared goals, create the supporting policies, and identify which people to bring back and when:
Form a cross-functional steering committee and invite senior management with the authority to make company-wide policy decisions
Ensure all workplace support teams, such as Corp Real Estate, IT, HR, and Facilities Management (FM) are included
Define the cadence for regular updates of the re-entry plan by and to the committee
Define clear, shared objectives for re-entry:
What productivity goals do you expect the reopened workplace to achieve?
What in-office activities will be performed, and by which teams, and how will the activities be prioritized?
What are the reopening phases and target timelines for each prioritized activity/team?
Identify who is coming back, why, when, and how to identify the teams that will return to the office during each phase of reopening:
Will it be employees, and contractors, and vendors? Or only teams performing specific job functions?
Update internal policies to support health and safety, compliance, and productivity in each phase of reopening
Identify the critical messages and who will communicate those messages to visitors, auditors, contractors, and other business partners, etc.
Source: MRI Software Market Insights - 2021 Survey of Occupants and Landlords
Step #2: Define and communicate your “Return to Office” plan
Define and communicate your “Return to Office” plan to return safely and productively:
Assess the goals of the workplace based on who was identified in Step #1, and implement workplace changes and communication plans
Choose the correct balance of dedicated assigned spaces, flexible/shared workspace common areas, building entrances using touchless access systems
Define the lower-touch physical changes needed: i.e., way-finding signage, removal or rearrangement of furnishings, install sanitizing stations, increase HVAC airflow, add building sensors and other employee-assist technologies and communicate this information to the employees prior to their return
Step #3: Evaluate and implement the required technology to ensure the Return to the Workplace is safer, smarter, and better connected.
Purchase and use technology to manage traffic, density, travel pathways, and interactivity in the workspaces to ensure your plan is working
Influence occupant behavior and simplify compliance with complex new building protocols
Schedule and control access to the workplace, including employees with reserved desks and service providers performing scheduled maintenance
Provide always-available workplace support, such as IT, HR, AV, dining services, and FM, while minimizing face-to-face support interactions
Source: MRI Software Market Insights - 2021 Survey of Occupants and Landlords
In summary, a successful return to office plan will include the right mix of people, processes, and technology. Using the information identified in these three action steps can help you improve safety in the workplace, enhance in-person productivity, and by utilizing the right technology, your company will efficiently manage its Return to the Workplace.
Hopefully, this information was helpful, but please reach out to me if your company needs help getting started and email directly at: corporateREadvisoryservices@gmail.com
