Returning to the Office: Are You Prepared?

With a large number of companies requiring employees to come back to the office to work (at least 2 - 3 days per week), there's much to think about to make sure you are set up for success.    

If you think about it, ergonomics has never been more important than it is at this moment in time. And returning to the office, only complicates and increases the need for a thoughtful and well-executed ergonomics plan.  How many employees continue to work from home (WFH)?  Are they truly set-up well to do that from an ergonomics perspective?  How many will work from the office (WFO)?  Will anyone have an assigned seat?  Will there be hoteling in place?  Will it be a combination with employees now working in a new hybrid fashion – at home and in the office? Did employees take home furniture from their office?  If so, will they be bringing it back?  If they also work at home, then will new chairs and desks be needed?

There’s A LOT to think about.  But here’s the good news.  With the right plan, resources and questions asked upfront, the solutions are more straightforward than you may think.  In the end, it will boil down to the following things:

• Talking to your employees and finding out what their needs are.  (Don’t be afraid of this one, as it is a vital part of your company having a successful re-entry.)
• Working with your partners (ergonomists, space planners, furniture vendors, etc.) to be able to provide what is needed.  (I.e., accommodations for WFH, for WFO and Hybrid)
• Educating everyone in your organization on the basics of a healthy ergonomic set-up and healthy work strategies to make this a success for everyone.

RETURN TO OFFICE ERGO CHECKLIST

To help you out, we have put together a preliminary checklist to help you think through and develop your ergonomics checklist for now and for the future.

Survey your employees.

• Poll how many will plan to be back at the office, if so, how often.
• How many will continue to WFH?
• What are their ergo needs now while WFH?
• What are anticipated ergo needs when WFO?

Audit Your Offices.

• Did employees take home furniture (chairs, monitors, keyboards, desks?)
• Will they be bringing them back?
• Will they need a replacement set for WFH?
• If hoteling, what will you be providing on the desktops for employees?
• Do you have sit/stand desks?  Is the height range at the ideal 22”-50” to accommodate varying height needs?
• Are chairs adjustable?
• Will there be external monitors provided?  If so, are there also laptop stands and docking stations or other easy way to plug into the monitor?
• If not, do you have laptop risers available?
• Will employees bring their own keyboards and mice along with their laptops (recommended due to best hygiene practices)
• Can your organization provide mobility kits?  (Laptop riser, keyboard and mouse)
• How will you accommodate special needs?

Productivity Plan

• Do you have tips for employees to stay focused in a new work environment?  
• What about if they are shuttling to and from their home office and work office?
• Are teams coordinated?  (Or are employees coming into the office, just to do Zoom calls with colleagues that are not in the office?)

With so much to think about, we’d love to hear what your plans are and we are also here to help you think through each aspect of our collective next step on this evolving work-journey to ensure everyone’s comfort and safety.

Until the next time!