As people start to return to work, you will find that you will be dealing with a variety of mindsets. Employees’ attitudes will vary according to their individual situation and approach to the pandemic. Unfortunately, there is no single solution that we can advise that will help all employees, it is going to be a case of assessing each individual situation and moulding your approach accordingly.
Everyone’s experience of the pandemic will have been very different and it is going to be essential that you apply a fair approach to each employee, listening to their concerns, documenting the response and agreeing an approach that works for both you as the employer and the employee.
Providing an outlet to people to discuss their concerns initially can be done in a risk assessment and return to work meeting. Following that you should perhaps consider offering counselling or Occupational Health support if people need help managing anxiety or stress as they return to some kind of, although very different, normality.
It is also important to consider the length of time the employee has been absent or working from home. For anyone who has been absent the approach to returning to work will be very different and should follow an absence management approach. There may be sickness recovery to consider and this may require adjustments to be put in place in order for the employee to come back. Employees that have been able to work from home, with some limited interaction will have a different approach to those who have been furloughed or unable to work from home.
You then also have to consider the effect of different experiences mixing with each other. There will be the group, who have been working through this period and have had a very different experience to those who have not been in the workplace for whatever reason. As all these groups come together, there is bound to be some conflict and this needs to be managed carefully. You can find some tips on how to manage conflict in our blog here.
Using risk assessments and return to work meetings to help assess the mindset of employees will be extremely helpful during this time. I read an article recently that classified employees into the following categories, which was helpful but how will you know which category they are in, if you don’t assess them first. Have a read through the different attitudes you may face and then read our tips on what you can do to assess attitudes and support your employees in the process of returning to work.
The reluctant returner – May have been absent for a long time, may have pre-existing conditions, may have had an upsetting experience or be struggling with anxiety. Could simply, be struggling with transport or childcare.
The eager returner – Employees that are eager to get back to some kind of normality, to see people, to be in the workplace. They may need support in terms of reassuring about their work carried out and access to extra support for development, if they wish to. Could they support others? Be careful they don’t overwhelm those who are not so eager.
Preferred working from home returner – For some people this has been an opportunity to reduce the commute, to maximise their day without travel and to have more family time at home. They may be reluctant to lose this flexibility. Could you consider any home working or flexible working options? If this is not possible prepare for the fact you may lose this employee to flexible working elsewhere in the future.
Lost my sense of purpose and direction returner – With such a period of absence from the normal routine, many will have lost their sense of direction. They may have just been firefighting on a daily basis from either home or at work whilst others were off. They may also be anxious about what has changed during this period, so communication and reassurance is essential. Be honest about the situation, people are more supportive if you tell them what is happening and what may happen in the future.
Anxious returner – Through this period, everyone has been anxious at some point about different aspects. Recognise this and offer support.
What you can do to help
- Keep in touch regularly with all employees, in this period you cannot over communicate.
- Share your experiences – empathise
- Arrange Return to Work Meetings
- Listen and document concerns
- Try to assess their attitude and consider any mental health issues that need to be supported
- Consider phased returns
- Use a buddying system
- Offer counselling or wellbeing support as an option, take a look at this page for ideas.
- Consider providing online sessions before the return to all employees on building resilience, managing anxiety and stress management. We can help with this, just ask. We have a course running called Stress Less, Smile More, which may be of interest.
- Remind them it is okay to feel like this and that your door is always open. You can access a useful video on how to address feelings of anxiety on our videos page.
- Offer development opportunities for those who want them. Take a look at our video page for webinars as well as training opportunities that are coming up, which include many for free. You may also want to consider hosting online training for employees, get in touch as we can run many sessions remotely as a group.
- Communicate the values, direction and future of the organisation to get everyone’s buy in again in this new era.
- Be prepared for difficult conversations. Take a look at our video on Managing Difficult Conversations or book to attend our next virtual course.
- Think about how you can inspire people. Read our blog about being a good leader and coach. Take a look at upcoming virtual courses on leadership.
You may also find it useful to attend our Return to Work webinar coming up on 8th July. You can book your place here it is free to attend.
Finally, if you have vulnerable people returning to work, we would advise you to carry out a risk assessment. You can read our blog about how to approach this here. There are useful links to the HSE which will help you fulfil this task. If you are not sure who is a vulnerable person you can use our Vulnerable Person Risk Assessment Service which is led by a Doctor and provides you with the clarification that you need to then support that employee.
If you would like more information on any of the services we have mentioned, please do not hesitate to get in touch on 01924 827869 or contact us here.
