Should we rush to get back to the office?

As most organizations are getting back to the physical workspace many are not entirely considering the complex nature of this coming back. Alongside the concrete and needed health protection measures in order to be fully compliant with health authorities (e.g., alternating work shifts, increasing cleaning frequency, and re-designing workstations to allow for social distance), other more complex social and psychological layers of the problem must be addressed.

The first question for an organization to ask itself is when considering the jobs that could fully be continued during the confinement phase via home office: Why we need to rush people to come back to the office?

And is it entirely clear for top management why is it crucial to ask people to come back considering all the restrictions, costs, personal limitations (e.g., homeschooling their children, public transport commute), and increased contamination risk? If yes, thesereasons must be clear and fully disclosed to all employees.

Also, by stratifying people with different risk levels or a specific limitation status, organizations could create more problems than benefits from this partial and incomplete comeback. For example, by forcing employees without children to comeback or by differentiating management practices between the ones at the office and at home.

Internal communication should be intensified providing not only information about steps the organization is taking to protect people but also about the status of the business itself. This way fears naturally present at this stage of the epidemic, which is by no means controlled since there is no treatment or no vaccine yet, will be continuously addressed but also economic or professional perceived instability will be attenuated. We should also not forget that communication works both ways, so it is crucial to open a feedback channel for employees and assess their perceptions continuously.

After more than two months of fully remote work experience there might be divergent perspectives and learnings that need to behold and be listened in the organization, making sure that managers are now fully supportive of a more flexible work arrangement in terms of schedule (e.g., by avoiding rush hour) or continuing working from home if this is the workers’ preference.

It is important to be fully aware that the rush might be related to magical expectations that the way we run our business and our own culture will get back to normal soon, but it is crucial to realize that this comeback will not be experienced by people as any form of normal. It will be in fact another adaptation to a whole new situation, more complex and diverse than the previous fully remote working experience, and this time with a more prolonged time span and impact for the organization.