As more people are vaccinated and organizations begin to return to in-person working, it’s important to consider what impact the pandemic will have had on your culture. Even if all the same people return to exactly the same space, they have been changed by life experiences and being apart for over a year. It’s time to consider a reboarding experience.
Similar to onboarding or orientation when new employees are hired, a reboarding program can help to set the tone and expectations for the work ahead. It can also allow for people to become (re)acquainted and for everyone to review the ground rules for post-pandemic life. If work-from-home is still an occasional option, how does an employee request it? What are the expectations for remote work with vendors and others who are not onsite? How do you respect the work of those who have been in the office the whole time?
In a reboarding experience, it’s also important to talk about the business reasons for why people are required to return. As one HR professional* said: “How sustainable is it to keep heads down without interaction? Yes, individual productivity may have been high, but what about creative collaboration and diversity of thought that comes from being together?”
You can’t have a year-long interruption and just pick up where you left off. Treat your return to the office as a new beginning and work to intentionally re-generate the enthusiasm and commitment that onboarding creates.
*Lisa Bowers, Dupaco Community Credit Union
