We reached out to our colleagues and experts in our Collective and reviewed remote work policies and re-entry plans from a variety of small, medium, and large-sized businesses. If you are wanting to compare notes and see if your plan has all the latest details, check out the major sections you might have forgotten in your plan.
What we discovered:
Policy vs Plan
Many businesses varied on how they structured their re-entry plan. Some had written a formal policy and then put all details (timeline, protocols, etc) in a separate plan. Others had one document with everything.
Policy
For those who had written a separate policy, most were short, direct, and to the point. Sections of the policy included:
Name of the policy - be sure to name your policy (i.e. "Healthy at Work").
Scope - include who and what business locations the policy applies to.
Guiding principles - indicate that your plan aligns with the company's core values and follows guidance from the CDC or wherever you are receiving professional guidance.
General procedures - this is a high-level summary of general procedures the re-entry plan details.
Employee Responsibilities - this outlines expectations and also may include a decision flow chart.
Compliance - this section identifies violations and how employees acknowledge they read the plan.
At the bottom of this post, we've included a sample policy.
Plan
Below are the various sections included in the plans we reviewed.
Name of plan and program: Again, the name of the plan or program was included at the top along with a date of when the plan was last updated. Giving your plan an official title makes it feel official and gives your team branding to refer to in later communications. (i.e. "As part of our "Healthy at Work" program....")
Purpose: Every plan had an intro paragraph stating the purpose of the plan, who it was for, what business locations were involved and the why behind the plan. Some plans had included a letter from leadership along with a table of contents and had defined sections (Prepare the building, prepare the workforce, etc.).
Workplace preparation - this section outlined the steps taken to prepare the office, steps employees need to take, along with required training to attend before re-entry into the office. Tesla included a visual graphic on all steps taken to keep employees safe. They also put information in checklists as well. Diversifying sections of the plan into charts, checklists, visual graphics is an effective way for employees to absorb the information.
4. Control Access - this section outlined office traffic flow, guidance on non-company employees (i.e. deliveries), employee self-assessment for Covid-19 screening, attendance restrictions, etc.
5. Prevention Measures - this section included best practices on hand washing, social distancing, cleaning, supplies, travel, and face coverings. You may also have to update the face coverings section as cases increase and as new learning emerges on the most effective face coverings to wear.
6. In-Office Protocols Monitoring & Handling COVID-19 Symptoms & Diagnosis - this section outline protocols for self-monitoring, tracing, and actions to take if diagnosed.
7. Acknowledgment - this section included instructions for how employees need to acknowledge that they have read and understood the plan.
Below is a sampling of various plans and templates we discovered. If you need extra help, we uncovered several consultancies such as VISION2VOICE, which specializes in change communication. As the ever-changing landscape of the pandemic continues, it is important to stay abreast of the latest updates in policies and protocols to make remote work.