COVID-19 Return To Office Plans

COVID-19 has disrupted personal and professional lives in ways that we have never seen.  Many businesses are grappling with the decision on if and when they should have employees return to an office. 

Factors to Consider For Returning to Office

There are many factors that should be considered when making the return to office decision.  It can have far-reaching impacts on both the business and the bottom line, as well as your employees, health, and engagement.  Some things to look at when assessing IF you should have your teams return to the office include:

• What is the current COVID-19 situation in your area?
• Is the office workspace conducive to social distancing?
• Is the team productive working from home?
• What is the driver behind pulling employees back into the office?
• Do you have an employee population that is considered high risk?

Defining the Return to Work Plan

Once the decision to return to the office is made, you will want to ensure there is a clearly defined return to work plan in place.  Items to consider in the return to work plan may include:

• Temperature checks – Will you collect this? How will you receive this? Where will it be maintained? Who will have access to it? When will the records be destroyed?
• Will you be providing safety or personal protective equipment (PPE), or will you expect employees to provide?
• Will you have a phased approach to return to work, such as critical roles first?
• How will you regulate how many people are in the office at a time?
• Does your work location have breakrooms, cafeterias, and meeting rooms? Will they be open?
• If someone in the office is exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19, do you have contact tracing in place?

While this list is not all-inclusive, it provides a few points that employers should be considering and asking themselves when they are preparing employees to return to the office.  If you need support on a return to work plan, please contact us at Heather.Albarano@RCR-Consulting.com.