The New Rules of Working : The 9 Best Tips for Office Managers
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Now that we’re all back in our offices and working hard on our goals for 2022, it’s crucial to take a step back and understand where we’ve come from. The last few years have given us all kinds of physical, mental, and financial challenges, but we here at Office National are super optimistic about the future. We’ve all learnt vital lessons about putting our physical and mental health first, and we’re harnessing fantastic technology to keep up our productivity, whether we’re fully working from home or our office (or both in a hybrid setup). However, there’s still plenty to be done in these times of change. As an Office Manager, your goal is to help your fellow employees adapt to the new office routines, where ever they are, to help them feel comfortable and safe. That means reducing stress and boosting productivity and team morale. It starts with a daily COVID-19 checklist and this collection of nine top tips.
1. Create a survey to understand precisely what’s needed.
Only employees can tell you how they’re managing these new work changes. For this, you’ll need to create a confidential survey with both open-ended and multiple-choice questions to collect their honest feedback. The topics should cover remote work experiences, individual preferences, health and safety practices, and personal issues. Here’s a template of questions you can use to create your survey.
2. Set up emotional support and mental help resources.
A recent survey found that 70% of workers weren’t ready to return to their offices, and over half of that percentage said getting sick was their primary concern. You’ll need to ask all employees about their needs and worries. Thankfully, there are several resource options: an on-call or on-site therapist, mental health support apps and software, a dedicated helpline, and support groups.
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3. Build hot desk opportunities for hybrid workers.
There are still plenty of businesses experimenting to find their best ways of working. There’s a wide scale of change: from going fully remote to returning to the same pre-COVID routines. Practically, many companies have scaled back their office space to facilitate the rise in remote and hybrid workers. To leverage these new models, you can create new versatile desk options for workers to plug in and work along with a cloud-based booking system. The bonus for your business? You can drastically reduce overhead costs.
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4. Create a culture of workplace appreciation.
Building a thriving, supportive community with digital methods is more challenging with new working models that straddle remote and office work. The good news is that there are hundreds of digital resources to help share daily gestures of appreciation. These are proven to improve morale and productivity and bring teams closer together. Research from Walden University found that doubling the number of employees who receive recognition regularly has a snowball effect resulting in 24% improved productivity and a 27% reduction in absenteeism. This can include automated, peer rewards, and nomination-based tactics, but they will all help build a supportive team culture – something we’ll all need in 2022.
5. Invest in employee care boxes.
We are not just talking about welcome packs for new employees here (but those are great too); these are customised care packages that you can send to your employees and your remote workers. These can contain COVID-19 care products, sweet or healthy treats, branded gifts like coffee mugs or water bottles, stationery items and desktop accessories. You can either create these packages yourself or use a specialist gifting company. Either way, your goal is to show that you care – actions always speak louder than words.
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6. Define a new wellness programme.
While most companies had an integrated wellness plan before the pandemic hit, it will need to be adapted to suit the new working patterns of 2022, including remote and hybrid options. Having on-site wellness plans like yoga classes and masseurs aren’t viable for remote workers, so you’ll need to craft options that work for all employees, wherever they are. Here are a few examples: a streaming fitness and workout service, discounts on healthy food deliveries, and video call sessions with a nutritionist or dietician. These options should also include the mental and physical health apps from point two.
7. Partner with an online education platform.
The rise in remote and hybrid working has meant that office-based training systems and staff education classes have to pivot to become digitally available, or businesses can partner with online streaming education platforms. This allows employees to educate themselves when and where they want and to progress at their own pace.
8. Set up a programme of COVID-conscious (but fun) team events.
There were plenty of staff quiz nights during the pandemic, social drinks, and impromptu get-togethers on Zoom, Teams, and other video calling apps. If your company uses a hybrid or remote working setup, you’ll need to set up a staff schedule that includes regular staff social events to help build up team culture and the working community. Some digital examples include virtual escape rooms, bespoke comedy evenings, online cooking classes (with food hampers sent to homes before), and even karaoke – the options are limitless.
9. Harness a remote-friendly onboarding system.
In 2022, your company may be hiring new remote employees, and as a result, you’ll need to change your existing on-site onboarding. The good news: there are plenty of successful digital tools and examples that you can use to craft your own.