Returning to the Office is More than Just an HR Challenge

Returning to an in-office working environment is more complicated than many might expect. When the pandemic started, nonprofit organizations pivoted to remote working in a matter of days, driven mostly by mandatory restrictions over which we had no control. Returning to the office is not nearly so clear-cut. This time around we control the process, so we need to be extra thoughtful with our approach and inclusive with our actions.

It is a mistake to think this is merely a human resources (HR) problem to solve. HR issues are important, but viewing the return to the office as just an HR drill will get you sideways quickly because there are so many other layers of issues to consider.

Make sure to cover these four elements as you sketch out your return to office plans: HR, Legal, Finance and Culture. Using these four pillars of consideration will enhance information gathering and broaden perspectives.

HR – There will be many HR issues to consider but first think of the HR team as the repository and coordinator of your return to office plans. Your HR manager can be an effective leader for return to office efforts but remember HR has just one seat at the C-Suite table. Broad senior management involvement will be necessary to ensure a smooth return to the office.

Legal – There are many moving pieces to this puzzle that can and will expose your organization to new legal risks. Employment laws vary by state, and the balancing of remote work practices with the return to in-office work can raise legal questions related to health and safety, paid and unpaid leave, discrimination, and other issues that have very different treatments in different jurisdictions. This will be made even more complicated by offering continuing remote work options. Remote workers could be highly transitory (more likely to move from state to state than traditional in-office employees). Also. having a workforce that includes some permanent remote workers will increase the likelihood that employees will be hired from different states, exposing the organization to new state employment laws that are not familiar and could be a compliance challenge. These are just a few of the potential legal considerations that need to be fully understood and incorporated into your organization’s employment practices. There will be many others.

Finance – The impact on budgets, financial resources, and sustainability needs to be factored into long-term planning for return to the office. Will pay scales change or need to be adjusted? Are there other financial considerations such as occupancy, technology, insurance, payroll tax, and employee benefit issues that will need to be re-envisioned, forecasted, and incorporated into future budgets? These and other issues must be reflected in your return to office plans.

Culture – This must be given careful attention because culture considerations are wide ranging. They are often influenced by individual perceptions which are hard to assess, monitor, and anticipate. Begin by identifying which culture elements are most important to your organization, such as collaboration, inclusion, creativity, efficiency, workplace health and safety, mission, and customer relationship management (CRM). Next, prioritize your list of key culture elements by listing your most important culture element first. Finish by designing new workplace policies and practices that will enhance key culture elements with special emphasis on your top culture priorities.

For example, if collaboration is your most valued culture element, you will need to address workplace design and layout, requirements for in-office meetings, and how workspace will be assigned, shared, and used to foster enhanced workplace collaboration. Conversely, if your top culture element is a safe and healthy workplace, these planning factors will need to be considered through a different lens.  

Planning Tip – Ask staff what they missed the most from not being able to be in the office and what they valued the most from remote working. Make sure to incorporate this information into your return to office plans. This simple inclusion tip will smooth the transition by demonstrating sensitivity to your staff’s real-life concerns and helping with alignment of individual and organization priorities.

Finally, apply a phase-in strategy as we discussed last week. This will allow you to test the waters, build confidence and trust, and permit you to make adjustments over time to help ensure a successful return to the office.