A few months back, Emily Goodson started a series”Dear CEO” to provide the employee perspective to ongoing injustice and suffering in our country. For the next installment in this series, Goodson wants to share a perspective she co-authored with Metaclusive CEO Tristan Higgins on the concept psychological safety when returning to work. 

Returning to a physical workplace. The subject on the mind of every C-suite leader in 2021. Emails are being sent with lists of the things being done to provide this actual or perceived safety. Checklists are being made. Waivers are being signed. Knobs are being sanitized. 

But, perhaps the most vital piece of this discussion is noticeably absent. What is being done to ensure all of our employees feel emotional and psychological safety in the return to work process? 

Psychological Safety 

When we think about creating an inclusive environment, we must recognize that not everyone enters our workplaces on the same foot. This is fundamental to the definition of equity – Emily needs something different to be successful than Tristan does. And Andy needs something different than Hansford. And nowhere is this concept of equity more fully on display than when we consider the subject of going back into offices. 

The majority of our workers have been at home for more than a year (minus our essential healthcare, biotech, security, and other colleagues). We have been isolated from friends and coworkers. Some of us have been embedded with our families. Some of us have been single and struggled to make it through the winter holidays alone. And some of us were stuck in physically or emotionally abusive situations with our partners. 

Some of us have been surrounded by our pets, Funko collectibles, calming fountains, and aromatherapy. Some of us have worked in sweats and pjs, even if only on the bottom. We have been able to graze freely in the kitchen. We have not had to budget for lengthy travel time, leave early to deal with kids, sports, doctors, or pets. No one had to listen to metal or country music in the office when they really preferred classical or needed quiet to work.

And now, what’s next for us? 

Beyond a vaccine policy and protective equipment, are you as an employer prepared to deal with the additional stress and emotional burdens a new parent will experience coming into the office and leaving their newborn for the first time? Do you have the facilities to support a nursing mother? What about the parent or parents who are sending their kids off to school for the first time?

You might have a new employee who has a disability that they have not disclosed and you have not seen on camera. What are you doing to assuage their concerns about being ridiculed, not having the access that they might need, and fearing their new colleagues might react poorly to learning something so fundamental to their identity? There is a tremendous emotional weight for those who are different and are now thinking about “coming out” as it were, to a whole fleet of employees.

Do you know if any of your employees are suffering from depression or anxiety that might make returning to an office particularly challenging? Though you cannot ask directly, are you prepared to provide options for folks who are simply not ready to return?

Create a Return to Work Plan 

In addition to being at home surrounded by family and familiar comforting things, many of us have pets that we loathe to leave for 9-12 hours a day. The shelters are almost empty which means record numbers of people have adopted pets. “Covid pets,” as they have been dubbed, do not know what it is to be left alone all day. Might you now allow pets into the office all or part of the time?

These questions and uncertainties are the future of work. It is here. Our workplaces experienced a revolution this past year, whether we were ready or not, and there’s no going back. And while some of these questions may sound odd, if you are an employer who wants to retain talent after the pandemic, you need to be intentional about creating an inclusive workplace that thinks through the needs of employees who haven’t had the same quarantine experience as you. 

These post-quarantine life questions will probably be an ongoing discussion for many of us in 2021 and 2022, but if you need a place to start, here are three suggestions to guide you in creating your return to work (RTW) plan.

Three Concrete Steps 

1. Spend time with your leadership teams talking through the expectations that you used to have, what is essential for the efficient running of your business, and what is just leftover from a pre-pandemic era?
   • Are you changing policies? Pets? Remote working? Flexible hours?
   • How are you supporting parents or caregivers differently? Are you requiring vaccines to attend events or interview onsite? How are you handling accommodations?
2. Establish a “Welcome Back” communication plan and cadence with your employees
   • Who is in charge of communicating the RTW plan? Are you sharing that expectations will change and people will not be judged for enjoying the new expectations?
   • How are you encouraging people to come forward to ask for any help they need? Who is the point person for accommodations versus who can help coach you through anxiety concerns?
3. Be willing to be wrong, overlook something, and accept feedback
   • We need to do our best to be intentional in planning this transition, but we also need to recognize we may need to change our approach in four months. How can you model that vulnerability and agility now? 
   • How can you bring in as many perspectives as possible when crafting your return to work plan?

We all know psychological safety is fundamental to team performance. Many of us missed the boat on that pre-2020, but let’s not miss our opportunity to ensure and build it now by considering and acknowledging the diversity of emotional needs returning to our workplaces. 

Bios

Emily Goodson is a leadership coach and the CEO of CultureSmart, a consultancy that helps startups create high-performing, inclusive workplaces. Follow CultureSmart on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Tristan E.H. Higgins is the CEO and Founder of Metaclusive LLC. We help companies and nonprofits create workplaces where employees feel they belong. Follow Metaclusive on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Read the Original Article on Medium.com.