The Virtual Workplace: Supporting Employees with the Transition Back to the Non-virtual Office

As businesses and states reopen, employers are faced with the task of figuring out how to successfully transition employees back into the office. While many employees are eager to get back to work for the sake of their mental health, some are perfectly happy remaining at home. This could be due to getting a taste of the remote work life or being fearful of the risk of infection being back in the office again. Regardless, this is a delicate time for everyone involved.

Topics:

• Be flexible and open minded to the many thoughts, feelings and situations of employees.
• Balancing work and life, becomes exponentially more challenging when both are in the same location.
• Research also shows two significant differences when people work remotely: (1) they work longer hours because they don’t have the physical cue of arriving and departing the office to punctuate their date, and (2) people become isolated and lonely.
• Trust and empathy should be the foundation at which employers shift their employees back into the workplace.
• Studies have found that only 14% of employees say their organization is COVID safe with appropriate precautions for them to return to work. However, even if appropriate precautions are in place, 2 out of 5 employees admitted to feeling nervous about the risk of infection when interacting with their coworkers.
• Best practices for a remote workplace, including fostering engagement and inclusion Who benefits and how? What are the legal considerations to watch out for?