Top 10 Things to Consider for the Workplace of the Future

As we move to a hybrid workforce or towards something relative to normal, have you thought about how you will weigh the wants and needs of your employees with those of your organization? Have you considered the following questions and addressed the answers to policy changes? 

• Will you mandate vaccines for those in the office? What about visitors? Are you prepared for the response to this?

• Will you continue safety and cleaning measures to include masks and the remaining 6 feet apart? 

• Will you consider allowing employees to still work from home?

• Will you mandate people come back to the physical office? How do you think your Workforce will react to this?

• Are you planning on treating employees the same, whether they work remotely or in person?

• Have you communicated your plans with managers and employees

This will be the first time in history that a company's bottom line or the wants and needs of their employees will be two different things. As you may imagine, this is going to have a huge impact on how companies are run, compete for talent, and design their business structures  Here are some things to consider as you look toward the workplace of the future:

1. Measuring Performance
   Managers and leaders often believe that if you can’t see an employee working, they aren’t as productive. When thinking about managing performance for your remote workers, you should consider the scope of work being completed. For example, project-based work is more about the final product or project completion rather than when the work is being completed. This would mean that the employee would be able to work in the evening hours when they feel more productive than in the morning when they aren’t productive. On the other hand, if the role is more time-based and needs to be completed during work hours, you would manage those expectations differently. Regardless of the type of work, remote and in-office employees should be treated fairly with clear performance guidelines and frequent check-ins, so they understand what is expected.

2. Setting Expectations for Remote and In-Office Workers
   Should there be a difference in how you treat remote workers to in-office workers? While we would like to tell ourselves that we would treat both types of workers the same, managers might view in-office staff more favorably than those who work remotely. This affects how workers are viewed, what assignments they are given, the types of information and knowledge they gain, and possible promotional opportunities. Remote workers are shown to be just as productive and should be given the same opportunities as their in-office counterparts. Effective managers must make sure both types of employees have the same support, knowledge, and opportunities regardless of where the work is being done.
   
   

3. Remote Work Policies
   It is essential to have policies in place surrounding your remote Workforce. Employees and managers need to have guidance on what is expected of them if they are working remotely. For instance, are employees expected to be online for a specified time period or is it more project-based, and the organization is just concerned with completion? You will also need to clarify whether allowing employees to work from home is a privilege and can be revoked at any time. This is especially important if you have employees working within commuting distance to the office - that if their performance falls below certain expectations, they would be required to report to the office.  Regardless of where an employee works, there should always be clear and precise policies guiding managers and employees.
   
   

4. Onboarding & Training
   One of the most significant areas for improvement within most organizations is the onboarding and training process. The main goal of onboarding is to make sure your new employees feel welcomed, supported, and informed of company policies. Onboarding goes beyond the simple act of completing paperwork and making sure they can log in to the company systems. Onboarding should be ongoing throughout the first six months to one year of employment. This includes regular check-ins, training, and evaluations so employees know how they are measured against company standards. The other part of onboarding is making sure employees have the right supplies, equipment, and training to do their jobs. How will you handle an employee who works in a different state and needs their equipment sent to them? How will you handle training when you have one person who works remotely and others who work in-office? The goal should be to make all employees feel welcome and supported.
   
   

5. Exiting and Terminating
   Handling resignations and terminations are a fact of doing business. Having a remote workforce makes this one of the more significant issues employers need to deal with, especially in cases of involuntary terminations. If you typically handle terminations in a face-to-face environment, how would you adjust for this with a remote employee? Do you have a plan for collecting company equipment and supplies for employees who don’t report to an office? Many employers use courier services if the employee lives in the same state as the employer.  However, if your employee works in a different state, you might need to look at a reimbursement program for shipping, share your shipping account number with the employee, or send them pre-paid postage. Also, do you have the policy to recuperate the cost of equipment that doesn’t get returned to you or is damaged? Approaching an HR consulting service here can be the ideal option.
   
   

6. Engagement & Team Building
   Engagement and team building is an essential part of the employee life cycle, and managers might treat their remote employees differently from their in-office employees without realizing it. For example, before the pandemic, it was common for managers to take the team out for celebratory lunches, order food into the office, or do other fun events outside of work, such as bowling or baseball games, as a component of the most optimal and efficient incentives and rewards. However, with a remote workforce, especially if workers live outside of commuting distance, it could be hard to gather the entire team to celebrate or go out as a team. Managers need to be aware that they could be alienating employees who don’t come into the office and come up with ways to involve their remote workers so they still feel part of the team.

7. Employee Relations & Discipline
   Having difficult conversations with employees regarding performance or other areas of concern is never easy, and most managers list this as the number one thing they dread.  However, these conversations need to happen, and it is usually recommended that these conversations happen in person. Since the pandemic, many of these conversations are happening virtually with a camera conversation, which is not as good as in-person but infinitely better than a phone call. However, you decide to handle discipline; it should be as consistent as possible.
   

8. Succession Planning and Promotional Opportunities
   Regardless of where your employee works, there should be a plan for them in terms of succession or promotion.  As mentioned before, managers could see employees working in the office as more dedicated and promote them over their remote counterparts. When considering promotions, managers should consider the role, work product, experience, and skill and not based on where an employee sits while working.
   
   

9. Recruiting and Retention
   According to many updated polls and reports, workers are specifically looking to leave organizations that are requiring in-office attendance and joining organizations that promote remote working. With the pandemic, it has become clear that many jobs can be done remotely, and it is apparent in the numbers of people leaving jobs searching for others that are more in line with what they are looking for. If you have jobs that can be done remotely, it might be time to trumpet this as a benefit to employees, which will attract and retain more talent.
   
   

10. Consistency is Key
    As with most policies and procedures aimed at employees, remaining consistent and treating employees fairly is always the key. When offering remote working opportunities to employees, make sure you are not singling out individual employees for this benefit and leaving others out. If you change how work is done in your organization, having practical policies, procedures, and ways to measure the success of these programs will reduce confusion and promote how agile your organization can be.
    

There will never be a one-size-fits-all solution to every organization as needs vary across industries, size, and type of workforce.

FutureSense is adept at helping organizations tailor programs to enable growth and success and offer support and guidance to manage your workforce. If you are interested in learning more about how we can help, need assistance with your workforce strategy, strategic planning, or HR operations; or you need an executive coach to talk to, contact us info@futuresense.com.