Eight Key Strategies to Prepare and Support Employees Returning to Work
Eight Key Strategies to Prepare and Support Employees Returning to Work
Caroline Ribeiro-Nelson, Executive board member of EAPA UK, Head of Free Choices: Mental Health & Well-being Consultant, Psychotherapist, Coach & Trainer
The easing of lockdown and a gradual return to work means employees and businesses are faced with a major new challenge. How can they prepare for a safe and effective return to work?
Sustainable strategies demand the recognition of a number of factors: understanding and responding adequately to stakeholder expectations; the safety requirements for physical and mental health; as well as addressing the psychological impact of this crisis. All of these are crucial in supporting employees to re-enter and engage confidently with their work.
A significant starting point is the acceptance that a return to work, for many people, will not be ‘business as usual’. Working practices will need to change. It is also important to be aware that individuals will react very differently to challenging events, so leaders and managers need to be prepared for a range of different responses.
- Acknowledge employee needs and the impact of the crisis: leaders and managers need to keep in mind the range of psychological and emotional consequences of the present crisis: making a clear acknowledgment of the situation, its impact, and the continuing risks helps to express the that a sense of responsibility for the workforce has been recognised and helps to enlist joint co-operation.
- Check-in and offer emotional support: leaders and managers should also take time to check-in on employees and find out how they are doing. Empathy is an essential part of how to express a genuine understanding and interest in the experience and welfare of others. Listening, acknowledging how the situation could be impacting people and offering appropriate support services helps to reduce feelings of fear and promote a sense of security.
- Ensure you have open and continuous communication: one of the most helpful and essential processes, particularly when dealing with crisis situations, is providing employees with relevant information on their work, as well as the business status, keeping people regularly updated. In seeking to reassure and reduce anxiety and uncertainty, employers can provide support by giving a clear explanation of changes to work routines and expectations, along with details on how the situation is being managed.
In responding to the Covid-19 crisis it is particularly important to communicate clearly the health and safety measures put in place to protect the welfare of employees. People need to have confidence that someone is taking responsibility and that action is being taken to address the situation in the best way possible.
- Understand expectations and remain flexible: there is a need to listen, acknowledge and wherever possible try to accommodate reasonable expectations. That means respectfully expressing what can be done rather than focusing too much on what cannot be done. Being flexible and making reasonable work adjustment are vital to being supportive, as well as gaining optimal engagement and productivity. Businesses should consider the possibility of flexible conditions relating to work hours, working from home, employee roles and tasks, time off, adaptation of working practices and provision of any necessary resources.
- Review and establish your business processes: businesses should ensure that comprehensive and up to date policies and procedures are established, specifying defined regulations and resolution strategies. Enabling businesses to perform at optimal level involves having people and operating systems that are adaptable and flexible, that can be part of a problem-solving approach. Employees are then fully informed and can function within an effective structure with clear guidance.
- Match present demands and needs with appropriate responses: following any crisis, businesses should be committed to getting things back on track as safely and quickly as possible. Identifying the present demands and needs of employees and responding in a direct and practical manner actively supports this process. It also contributes to building a strong and positive company culture based on a sense of trust and psychological safety.
- Navigate a new course: if businesses are to maintain direction and respond successfully to the needs of employees and the demands of the situation, then an openness to different ways of doing things is an absolute necessity. Progress can be held back by insisting on sticking to a rigid course and not adapting working practices. Recognising when something is no longer necessary or fit for purpose and altering direction serves to constructively optimise an employees’ return to work. Leaders and managers can develop and implement changes through lessons learnt, good practice, continuous feedback and a clear complaints and corrective measures process.
Connect and utilise external professional services: post-crisis, people can often feel fearful or apprehensive about returning to work. Collaborating and building new partnerships with relevant professionals and organisations can help with innovation, a greater sense of safety, engagement and increased productivity, as well as bring about the creation of stronger and more effective support structures. Most importantly this can promote the positive health and wellbeing of leadership and employees.