Returning to work, safely

 

We increased the frequency of our colleague pulse checks (through our engagement platform “Peakon”) with crisis specific questions to get a sense of how our colleagues were coping with the new world. We designed questions to check whether they believe they have the right tools to do their work remotely and also to get a sense of their overall physical and mental wellbeing. We used the data to define further actions and output including, for example; clear communication of the emotional support interventions that we have available them to support them through this difficult time.

We are implementing back to office/branch guidelines in alignment with local government regulations, for each of our various locations across the globe. To ensure the wellness of our people, we are securing the necessary personal protective equipment, e.g. masks and protective screens for reception areas to ensure a safe and effective restart. We launched an “Ask the Covid-19 Doctor” channel on our intranet to provide fact-based information in real time to our colleagues. As we transition back to the physical environment, teams will also work on rotation 50/50 between the office and home, ensuring adherence to physical distancing measures.

Ensuring the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of our colleagues has always been part of our DNA. During the pandemic we created a dedicated People portal on our intranet with a range of wellbeing interventions and support structures available to our colleagues, and this will continue in a post-crisis world. We also introduce new initiatives like a series of workout videos that can be done at home, created by colleagues for colleagues, as well as some guidance around managing stress in a crisis. Our employee assistance program provided free counselling for any colleagues who needed mental health support.

With the majority of our colleagues working at home, and more education and learning resources online, we had to adapt to new ways of working and collaborating in short space of time. We pulled together a selection of online learning resources and communications (from our brands such as General Assembly and LHH) and made them available to our colleagues free of charge, allowing them to work on acquiring new skills and developing themselves from home during this time, and this will continue as we restart.