Bringing Managers Back To Work Post COVID -19

Team N6

 Nikhil (N039)
• Ankit Bansal (Noo6)
 Rajiv Gupta (N048)
• Ipsa Ratha (N073)
 Shanki (N056)
• Dr. Hanuman (N022)
 Vibhor Bedi (N065)
• Lokesh Ranjan (N030)
 Bikramjeet Singh (N014)
 Introduction

 The COVID-19 era has been a challenge for all businesses and workplaces, with new norms
being created , new ethos and guidelines in work. The concept of “work from home” is the new
normal. Post COVID the return to the workplace will be a challenge.
 However there are professionals like the Army, Police , Banking & Other government sector and
the Health workers who have been working at the frontlines despite the pandemic and have no
option of working from home . The pandemic has translated into longer working hours and
challenging situations at the cost of their own health.
To keep operation ongoing in organization in post Covid era is one the biggest challenge.
Sustainability of organization and how employee’s will be back of workplace to work with full
strength needs a lot of brainstorming, strategy, and planning in advance.
Following are the recommendations to bring back managers and their team members to
workplace for organizations

• Safety first and well-being: This will be the moral, ethical and legal concern for all
managers . From a business perspective, safeguarding employees’ well-being is
paramount because no plan to resume normal operations can succeed without them
a. Proper guideline and protocols to be established to restrict outbreak of Covid or
spread of virus at workplace and it should be followed strictly.
b. Usage of technology or application to trace the employees for any potential Covid
infection and self-quarantine guidelines.
c. Constantly communicating all employees about the procedure of test and treatment
guidelines with required information and contact details.
•Who do we bring back onsite, and when?
a.Transitioning away from mandatory work from home to ramping up onsite presence
b.Managers need to identify mission critical employees and when to bring them onsite
c.An analysis of which roles transitioned smoothly to remote working and which didn’t
can help inform decisions about when and which subsets of employees should be
asked to return to the workplace
•What do employees need to manage this change?
a.Managers should lead with empathy and demonstrate an understanding that while all
of their employees have experienced this crisis, they haven’t all experienced it the
same way.
b.Managers should recognize that workforces will need time to adapt to new ways of
working post-pandemic. Employees coming back after an extended furlough or period
of remote work may find the physical layout of their workplace changed and their shift
schedule altered
c.Providing employees with the chance to make their challenges and concerns known
may help managers identify potential problems with their return-to-the-workplace
plans.
• Leverage flexibility and diversity to de-densify - De-densify spaces in ways that improve,
rather than hinder flexibility and user experience. This may initially include changing desk
usage to keep an empty seat between occupants. Large meeting rooms that may have
been designed for 10-12 people might now be occupied by 3-4.
• Leverage long-term teleworking - Use this opportunity to evolve your workplace
strategy. Those who return to the office will likely do so with 
new perspectives on workplace and how to be effective within a distributed organization.
A significant proportion of employees will probably be working remotely. Ensure that
those who are not present always receive the same level of information and engagement
as those who are. Both employees and managers may need training to perform well
under the new models. New measures may need to be taken to ensure accountability and
support the organization’s culture.
 Keep communication channels open : It’s only natural for some, if not all, of your staff to
be nervous about returning to a familiar space that will now appear slightly alien. It’s
crucial that managers allow workers to raise any issues they may have, and that
those concerns are seen to be taken seriously. Employers should listen out for
suggestions that staff make regarding improving the safety of the office and act on them,
where appropriate, as quickly as possible. Over-communicate with your employees to
keep them reassured and maintain their engagement, and don’t forget to recognize and
reward them on a regular basis.
• Rearrange your office layout : Employees should be encouraged to adhere to the two
metres/one metre plus social distancing rules at all times, so office desks will have to be
moved further away from one another and shared spaces, such as meeting rooms, may
need to be closed. Some firms might have to go further and adopt social distancing signage
measures to help guide pedestrian flow. To reduce the risk of the virus spreading between
employees, employers should reduce the amount of shared equipment and install panels
between desks. Once employees return to the workplace, it’s a good idea to provide them
with a guided tour of their new environment, clearly explaining how the changes that have
been made are designed to protect their health and well-being.
• Consult with your workforce : A good place to start is by asking your employees directly
when and how they’d like to go back to the office. An anonymous survey that allows staff to
voice their true thoughts and feelings without fear of any negative repercussions will
provide employers with vital information that can inform their plans for reorganizing work
patterns and the office layout. Some workers will want to go back full-time, others will
prefer to be in the office two or three days a week and some may not feel ready to return at
all. You may need to stagger return times so that the workplace doesn’t become
overcrowded and social distancing can be maintained. Allowing people to start earlier than
normal or to finish later will also ensure that commuters can avoid peak travel times.
Manager need to focus on workforce strategy in recovery which are best orchestrated
through five critical actions

Reflect
Reboot
Rethink
Recommit
Re-engage

Recommit to
Reflect from the Rethink on work, Reboot and realign
wellbeing of Re-engage with
learnings on what has workforces and Human resources to
workforce with focus workforce and
worked and what has workplaces to focus on workforce
on physical , redeploy to maximize
been missed . Bring in leverage experiences well being and
physiological and their contribution
Different Perspectives of COVID-19 priorities
financial concerns
 A confident return to work will be measured in inches

To build and sustain employee confidence over a gradual return to the office, businesses must:
1.Partner with local governments and health authorities to remove the obstacles to confident return
to work, including organizing safer commuting options and instituting flexible start and end times.
2.Consistently fill the information void by disseminating high-quality, reliable information from
expert sources.
3.Follow public health mandates and stress to employees the importance of their individual
responsibility to the greater good: wear a mask and physically distance.
4.Use data, insist on contact tracing and testing, even of asymptomatic people, and be as
transparent as possible when an employee falls ill.
5.As business performance rebounds, restore salaries that were cut, pay bonuses for those that had
strong performance despite Covid and promote those who have earned it.
6.Create a new position of Chief Public Health Officer, aimed at solving public health challenges that
intersect with business priorities, including the wellness of the workforce, vaccine adoption and
social justice.
Following methods adopted in Government offices/ PSUs with regard to digitalization keeping view of
COVID situation, which are well implemented and facilitates manager for procurement activities:

E-Office This platform was developed by NIC where at
various files can be created and activities can be recorded
with login details. Following activities are carried out
without any involvement of paper/ hard copy:
1. Raising the indent (initiation of procurement activity)
2. Bid opening
3. Technical evaluation of Bidders
4. Commercial evaluation of Bidders
5. Financial evaluation of Bidders
GeM (Government E Marketplace)
• This is a Marketing portal for procurement governed by
Government entities. Various Suppliers including MSME
suppliers are registered with GeM.
• Registered Officers/ Managers can carry out procurement
activities till making payment to the suppliers without
much effort.
• At this platform Suppliers price and technical details are
visible prior to the initiation of procurement which helps
Buyer in many ways.
References

• https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/about-deloitte/workforce-strategie
s-for-post-covid-19-recovery.pdf
• https://gem.gov.in/
• https://eoffice.gov.in/about_us.php
• https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/reimagining-the-office-and-
work-life-after-covid-19#
• https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/governance-insights-center/library/covid-19-returning-workplac
e-boards.html
• https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/workers-thrive-covid-19-skills/