How companies should respond to employees returning to the office under the influence of Omicron
At the beginning of 2022, many companies are preparing for the ‘return to the office’ . However, the highly contagious Omicron variant has disrupted the plans, leaving bosses to once again consider whether to return to hybrid working or full-time in-office working.
Compared to COVID-19 and Delta, Omicron appears to be less lethal, and its symptoms are usually milder than Delta's, but it is more contagious. Perhaps postponing returning to the office is the way to go, but some necessary in-office work does go a long way towards ensuring work productivity and improving collaboration. In this case, we should think more actively about strategies to deal with pandemics.
Listen carefully to the opinions of employees
When employees are planning to return to the office, companies need to be honest about how they feel about the current outbreak and how it will affect their daily work and lives if they want to build a productive collaborative experience with their employees. Even more important for companies to get input from their employees and think about how work, life, and health all work together when they come back to the office. They should also adopt a hybrid work model that lets employees feel that their ideas are important, which increases employee loyalty and productivity.
Create and optimize hybrid workplaces
Omicron is very contagious,and working face-to-face in the office full-time is not a wise choice. Adopting a hybrid work model is a good solution for both the company and the employees. If employees work in a hybrid office, they can work in the office at different times, which can help keep the number of people in the office at a safe distance and make the office more pleasurable for the employees. Employees who are not feeling well can work from home to avoid going out and getting infected with infectious diseases and poisons. This will ensure the health of employees and will not affect their work.
Creating a democratic and equal work experience
As we work to create an optimized hybrid workplace, we need to consider how we can improve the collaboration experience and productivity of our employees in the office and remotely. For employees in different workplaces to be able to collaborate and discuss their work smoothly, we need to address the "inequality" that comes with working in different workplaces. We need to make sure that everyone can work equally, no matter where they are or how they work together. To make sure that everyone has the same meeting experience, everyone is seen and heard clearly, and that everyone has the same chance to speak up and influence other people, we can choose smarter video conferencing devices.
Maintain flexibility for hybrid work
In a climate of increasing epidemics, we need to maintain the flexibility of hybrid work so that employees can switch office locations at any time. To enable employees to work more efficiently in a hybrid workplace, companies should adopt BYOD and BYOM policies. Because maintaining flexibility means that companies need to ensure that employees have the right tools to adapt to changes in schedule and location. Using employees' own devices ensures that employees can work on the same device no matter where they are, which can be more flexible and efficient. Using personal devices in the office can also help companies save money on hardware, which can be a big money-saver during an epidemic.
While omicron seriously affects everyone's work and lives, companies also need to be prepared enough to respond to their employees returning to the office, maintain flexibility in work schedules, actively listen to them, address their needs, and work together to build a future of work that democratizes the experience for remote, blended and face-to-face team members.
Compared to COVID-19 and Delta, Omicron appears to be less lethal, and its symptoms are usually milder than Delta's, but it is more contagious. Perhaps postponing returning to the office is the way to go, but some necessary in-office work does go a long way towards ensuring work productivity and improving collaboration. In this case, we should think more actively about strategies to deal with pandemics.
Listen carefully to the opinions of employees
When employees are planning to return to the office, companies need to be honest about how they feel about the current outbreak and how it will affect their daily work and lives if they want to build a productive collaborative experience with their employees. Even more important for companies to get input from their employees and think about how work, life, and health all work together when they come back to the office. They should also adopt a hybrid work model that lets employees feel that their ideas are important, which increases employee loyalty and productivity.
Create and optimize hybrid workplaces
Omicron is very contagious,and working face-to-face in the office full-time is not a wise choice. Adopting a hybrid work model is a good solution for both the company and the employees. If employees work in a hybrid office, they can work in the office at different times, which can help keep the number of people in the office at a safe distance and make the office more pleasurable for the employees. Employees who are not feeling well can work from home to avoid going out and getting infected with infectious diseases and poisons. This will ensure the health of employees and will not affect their work.
Creating a democratic and equal work experience
As we work to create an optimized hybrid workplace, we need to consider how we can improve the collaboration experience and productivity of our employees in the office and remotely. For employees in different workplaces to be able to collaborate and discuss their work smoothly, we need to address the "inequality" that comes with working in different workplaces. We need to make sure that everyone can work equally, no matter where they are or how they work together. To make sure that everyone has the same meeting experience, everyone is seen and heard clearly, and that everyone has the same chance to speak up and influence other people, we can choose smarter video conferencing devices.
Maintain flexibility for hybrid work
In a climate of increasing epidemics, we need to maintain the flexibility of hybrid work so that employees can switch office locations at any time. To enable employees to work more efficiently in a hybrid workplace, companies should adopt BYOD and BYOM policies. Because maintaining flexibility means that companies need to ensure that employees have the right tools to adapt to changes in schedule and location. Using employees' own devices ensures that employees can work on the same device no matter where they are, which can be more flexible and efficient. Using personal devices in the office can also help companies save money on hardware, which can be a big money-saver during an epidemic.
While omicron seriously affects everyone's work and lives, companies also need to be prepared enough to respond to their employees returning to the office, maintain flexibility in work schedules, actively listen to them, address their needs, and work together to build a future of work that democratizes the experience for remote, blended and face-to-face team members.