Return to work or ‘return to the workplace’ planning is a complex task against a backdrop of uncertainty. There’s no doubt that most employers are determined to get it right and do the best for their people – it makes human and business sense. But the list of things to consider is long, from office environments, catering, technology, legal considerations, transport, comms and much more besides.
The opportunity to stuff it up is large too. But so is the opportunity to create a positive experience that will impact someone’s overall employee experience and, as a consequence, their engagement with the business now, and advocacy into the future.
Emotionally charged moments in time (of which this is certainly one!) create a lasting mental imprint. So, whilst the operational considerations, of ‘return to work / the workplace’ are vital, equally critical is how organisations understand, work with and respond to employees’ emotional and psychological needs. A topic that, according to HBR, is being discussed far less frequently.
We know that comms, engagement and HR teams are working flat out right now, and few have the luxury of time on their side to carefully design every part of the return-to-work experience. And being realists, that’s not what we’re advocating. Rather, that you find ways to keep the holistic human experience front and centre of the conversation. That an employee’s emotional and psychological experience should be as much in focus as their physical experience of the work and the workplace.
As the HBR piece notes, leaders and managers will shoulder much of the responsibility for ensuring a smooth return to the workplace. Many organisations are rapidly investing in upskilling them in areas, such as dealing with ambiguity, personal resilience, developing emotional intelligence and leading hybrid teams. This will pay huge dividends in the weeks, months and years ahead. But psychological and emotional needs shouldn’t be left in the waiting room until these programmes are in place – they need to be part of the conversation now.
We recently worked with a global charity looking at just this task. Using the simple tool of a journey map, we were able to help them identify some high-octane moments that needed special consideration and care in order to manage their people’s anxiety. By taking the time to walk in their employees’ shoes through different return-to-the-workplace scenarios, the team was able to identify new opportunities to better support their people. The learning was about timing, channels and support. Some of the things they had pencilled to do were dropped in favour of more impactful options.
As I say, we’re realists. We can’t pause the world to create the perfect plan. And return to work/workplace plans will be iterated and tweaked in the moment. But simply shifting your focus from what you should be doing for, or to your people, to understanding how they’re experiencing the world right now, will go a long way to creating a better experience, which will benefit the short and the long term.
Our tool of choice right now is a journey map. Get yourself signed up to a virtual collaborative whiteboard (eg Miro or Mural) and plot the journeys different groups will have. Where are the biggest anxiety points and where can you help alleviate them?
We’re working in an imperfect world and you won’t have all the information on either side – either what your people feel and need, or what the business and work context will look like in a week, two weeks or more – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start asking the questions and using empathy to look at the picture from a different perspective. And keep on doing it.
Your journey map will flag key moments that need special attention – emotionally significant moments that deserve to be treated with care. Get it right and you’ll be doing a great service for your people, your managers and the long-term health of the organisaton.
Our next EX Design Workshop kicks off in September when we’ll be introducing tools, including journey maps and empathy maps, to help you understand and work with employees’ emotional needs and expectations.
If you’d like to get cracking sooner, contact info@peoplelab.co.uk to arrange a tailored session for your team.
