How to manage an effective return to the office

There will be a sigh of relief for many when offices re-open, with the message from companies, employees and the press that this will not be a return to old working practices. 

At the moment it is expected that most office employees will have returned to the office by late June 2021, but this could change at any time, particularly if new Covid variants take hold or if the number of Covid infections rise. 

Also, it seems likely that Covid will still continue to affect businesses and workplaces until the end of the year.

Traditionally, recruitment has been based on face-to-face meetings, and for years candidates have been warned to practice their handshakes, but during lockdown when face-to-face meetings have not been possible, this process has instead taken place virtually and interviews have been held by video conferencing.

So what will the office return look like and what are the emerging risks that businesses should be aware of?

With the guidance as it is, and due to the ongoing pandemic, staff may not wish to return and their concerns should be taken into account.--Kate Palmer

Things to consider

Kate Palmer, HR advice and consultancy director at law firm Peninsula, says employers will have to bear in mind office size as staff return, which may mean they do not look to recruit until social distancing measures are relaxed. 

It will be much easier to socially distance in a larger office, even with most employees back in, than a smaller one. 

Employers may also find themselves exploring more flexibility in response to staff who do not wish to return to the office full-time or want a new job with the ability to work from home.

Palmer adds: “With the guidance as it is, and due to the ongoing pandemic, staff may not wish to return and their concerns should be taken into account. If possible, a blanket approach to this should be avoided, as this could cause issues with staff morale and retention.

“If employers do want to implement hybrid working, they will need to consider several things. For example, there is a difference between temporary and permanent home-working and what may have worked temporarily may not work full-time.” 

“It should first be remembered that government guidance remains to work from home if you can, meaning that companies should carefully consider who is being asked back, and when or why.”

Some businesses may have benefitted from the shift to remote working, and decided to close offices or reconsider their use of office space. Other businesses may have decided that they have not benefited from remote working and are keen to return to the office.

Danielle Parsons, employment partner at law firm Irwin Mitchell, says employers will need to think about what has worked for the business and their staff, and what will work moving forward.

“The best way to do this is through consultation, getting staff actively involved in the process and engaged in any dialogue about a physical return to work,” Parsons adds.

“Where businesses are keen to have employees return to work, there will be many different factors to consider, [for example]: the health and safety implications and the risks involved in the return to the workplace; what they need to do to make the office Covid-secure; and how they help and support their staff in returning to work. 

“Having team and one-to-one meetings will no doubt help the staff communications process that should form a part of this.”

In the past, working in the financial services industry has tended to mean long hours in the office, Monday through Friday, and this is likely to have adversely impacted the careers of working mothers in particular, who may have struggled to find a work-life balance.

But after the pandemic, many businesses are likely to adopt flexible working to a much greater extent and this could easily become a permanent feature.

Over the past year many employees are likely to have moved to new workplaces and might not have met any colleagues in person at all.--Danielle Parsons

Greater remote working could mean that financial services jobs are opened up to candidates who wish to work in regional or rural locations or even overseas, rather than jobs being almost exclusively the preserve of the London-based, and many businesses could move to or open offices in other regional locations.

When it comes to recruiting, Parsons says where candidates live greater distances from the office, or are perhaps at higher risk from Covid, many interviews may still take place remotely.

Some businesses may decide that interviewing remotely is less time consuming and is a more efficient way of working, which enables them to more efficiently interview wider groups of candidates, and saves time if an interview is cancelled last minute.

Parsons adds: “Over the past year many employees are likely to have moved to new workplaces and might not have met any colleagues in person at all.

“If a business has decided to close some offices or move to fully remote working, then, again, this business may decide to continue with remote interviewing.”

Potential risks

But there are emerging employment risks for businesses to consider.

A blanket refusal to let staff work from home at all may result in them looking elsewhere for employment.--Kate Palmer

The key risks for businesses pre-lockdown and during the pandemic were likely potential difficulties in organising and quickly supplying the equipment and IT infrastructure needed for remote working, as well as keeping staff safe during commuting and overseas travel. 

To some extent these will continue to pose a risk to businesses moving forward.

Many businesses will also be considering issues around vaccination and what their policies are in relation to it, Parson says.

Restrictions on overseas travel and quarantining are likely to continue to cause problems for both employees and employers for some time to come. 

On the technology side, data protection and security around documents and computer systems will continue to be a key concern.

Another significant risk for employers, according to Palmer, is the increasing popularity of home-working, with the option to work both in the office and from home gaining a lot of traction as people look to the future. With this in mind, employers should carefully consider their approach to this with regards to retention. 

“A blanket refusal to let staff work from home at all may result in them looking elsewhere for employment,” Palmer adds.

“It should be remembered that a permanent introduction of home-working, or hybrid working, will mean a change in the terms and conditions of employment for staff. To this end, employers will need to seek their signed agreement.”

Tim Morris, financial adviser at Russell and Co, says: “Being able to work effectively remotely is integral to the role now. I don’t think this is an issue for younger generations starting a career as a financial adviser. They can probably help use technology more effectively in the business."

But, he adds: “[An emerging risk is whether] we can continue to operate without disruptions from further lockdowns and not have to furlough staff or scale back again.

"And while remote working skills are important, we still work in a people business where many clients want to meet in person. This means people skills are still vitally important.”

Ima Jackson-Obot is deputy features editor at FTAdviser