Employee Experience - 15 Tips for Successfully Reboarding Employees

The way many people work is shifting again and reboarding employees is a reality for many companies. We present a definition of this term, reasons why employers are moving back to in-office work, and a handy reboarding employee checklist for your information.

What is Reboarding?

The world has finally started its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, and several business owners are looking at reboarding employees. Many workers have already made their return to the office, while others are still engaged in remote work. Leaders are looking for ways to make the reboarding process a smooth and successful one for everyone.

Businesses had to adapt and make changes to their policies to keep team members safe during the pandemic. Reboarding employees after Covid will require some adjustments as well.

Reboarding Defined

Onboarding an employee is introducing a new employee to the workplace and familiarizing them with the company’s policies and procedures. Reboarding is similar; it’s the process of reintroducing an employee to the workplace after they have been absent for a significant time.

Traditionally, reboarding has been used to reacquaint an employee with the work environment after being away from work for parental leave or a lengthy illness. The employee is already familiar with the company’s policies and should become comfortable returning to work relatively quickly.

Reboarding Employees After Covid

Reboarding after Covid is different from one employee coming back from being away from work for a time. Employees are coming back to the workplace in teams or as whole departments. They must adjust from working remotely to a brick and mortar office or to a hybrid work arrangement. To make this change in the work arrangement successful, there must be employee involvement and continuing discussions.

When employees were working remotely, they got used to a different lifestyle. Many employees started putting in their own hours to get their work done. If an employee preferred to work in the early morning or late at night, the employee was free to do so if their manager didn’t object.

Some employees worked a compressed work week where they put in their normal number of work hours during three or four days to have more time with their families. This schedule allowed the employee time to look after personal matters, shopping, medical appointments, etc., on their “days off.”

Other employees found working remotely more stressful and fatiguing than working in the office. There was less interaction between them, their fellow team members, and their manager. Working from home meant boundaries could become blurred and there may not have been clear distinctions between work hours and leisure time.

Attract, Engage and Retain: The Employee Experience Advantage

In addition to ROI, employee experience measures help companies succeed at retention and recruiting.

How to Reboard Employees to the Workplace

Successfully reboarding employees doesn’t happen by accident. Consider the following ways to reintegrate your team members into your brick-and-mortar workplace.

1. Let employees know you empathize with them

The last couple of years have been challenging for everyone, whether they have voiced their concerns or not. It has been impossible to avoid headlines referring to the pandemic, the numbers of people becoming ill, and those who have lost their lives. People have been on a rollercoaster of anxiety, isolation, fear, illness, and grief.

Empathy on an employer’s part means appreciating that employees’ mental health has been affected due to the pandemic. Employees need to be listened to and supported as they make this change to working on the premises again.

2. Communicate in a positive way

Even positive changes can be stressful. As your team members prepare for their return to the office, clearly communicate your expectations and timelines in a positive tone. The company wants to ensure that it is willing to listen to employees’ opinions on its new remote work policies, health and safety guidelines, and anything else impacting employees’ work. There may need to be some adjustments made as you receive employees’ feedback.

3. Address changes head-on

As you focus on bringing employees back to the office, everyone will be aware that the way business is done has changed due to the pandemic. Employees will be returning to a new work environment that may feature differently configured workspaces, changes to their work schedules, and human resource policy changes.

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5. Choose a Covid-19 action plan

Part of social distancing in your brick-and-mortar facility will include making a decision about occupancy limits. Decide how many employees can be safely distanced from each other. Post signage to remind employees to maintain an appropriate distance.

Tell employees to monitor themselves for signs of the virus. Post signage to remind them of the company policy if they or anyone in their family becomes ill. State the number of days they are to self-isolate and whether the employee needs a negative Covid-19 test before returning to work.

6. Provide support resources for reboarded employees

Returning to work after working remotely for some time due to Covid-19 is different from any other situation employees have ever faced. Your company should prepare for employees’ return to the office by providing the following materials for them:

Company policy documents
FAQ sheets
Resources for mental health support
Safety activities

You may want to assign each reboarded employee a coach they can contact with any questions or concerns as they settle in.

7. Arrange for training before the employee returns to the office

There are two types of training that remote workers may be interested in before switching to full-time on-site or hybrid work. The first type of training is virtual training that introduces employees to support staff. This training allows employees to re-meet and understand the roles of important personnel they will be interacting with, especially if these roles have changed.

Training employees on new hardware or software can also be done prior to their return to the office. They will feel more confident about the change if they already are familiar with the equipment and programs they will be using in advance.

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8. Clarify employee responsibilities

As employees come back to work, managers need to be clear about what the company expects from them. When employees were doing remote work, the expectations may have changed due to necessity. If nothing is said, the employee may assume the expectations are the same. It is crucial that the employee and the company clarify what is expected so the employee understands what the organization considers success in the employee’s position.

9. Discuss employee goals on returning to work

Along with employee responsibilities, management needs to clarify employee goals. The company’s short-term goals may have shifted due to the pandemic, and employees need to be aware of how their work is going to help the company achieve them.

The Human Resources department, managers, and marketing team can all play a part in defining these goals. Once they have been defined, the goals can be shared with employees through engaging content. Use e-mail, video messages, and digital newsletters to share messages about goals with employees. Be sure to encourage employees to ask questions and raise any concerns they may have with their managers so they can be dealt with.

Attract, Engage and Retain: The Employee Experience Advantage

In addition to ROI, employee experience measures help companies succeed at retention and recruiting.

10. Create a safe space where employees can talk about reboarding

Some employees will feel happy and excited at the prospect of returning to the office, while others will approach this change feeling a combination of excitement and anxiety. Employees who were hired during the pandemic and started with the company in a work-from-home role may be wondering how they will fit in with the rest of their team once they step into the office.

People who have become used to working on their own and independently may have concerns about adjusting to working in an environment where other people will be present. “Dressing up” for work will be new for those who got used to working in sweat pants or pajamas. These types of topics can be discussed among employees in a Reboarding Community on the employee engagement platform.

11. Check in with team members regularly to offer additional support, if necessary

Some team members will be hesitant to approach their manager or the Human Resources department if they are having any difficulties with the concept of reboarding. The employee may be more likely to open up if their manager approaches them directly to ask how they are doing and if they have any questions or concerns. Make a point of checking in regularly to ask if there are any areas that the manager can assist with that would help the employee transition to in-office working more easily.

12. Consider bringing employees back in a staggered manner

Unless there is a specific reason why your entire team has to come back to the office en masse, consider reboarding employees a few at a time. This strategy will allow employees come in and get acclimatized to their new work environment in small groups. The employees who arrive early may be able to assist other employees and help them feel more comfortable as they start working in the office. The goal is to create an environment where each employee feels they can focus on their work and they have all the resources they need to do so.

13. Give teams time to settle in and figure out the best way to work together

Teams that have not worked together in the same physical space may need some time to divide tasks and communicate well. It may take some time for the team to get used to the idea that their fellow team members are down the hall from them and available to speak to directly instead of by instant messenger or e-mail.

There may be a period of adjustment while the team settles into their new location. This shouldn’t last long. Any difficulties can be discussed between the team leader and the team members.

14. Build some flexibility into workloads

At the beginning of the reboard process, give your employees some allowances for the change in their work experience. The employee may find switching to the office challenging for personal or family reasons. If they are returning to the office after a lengthy time working from home, be sure that your expectations for the workload they are expected to take on is realistic for them.

15. Allow employees to transition back to the office at their own pace

Some employees will want to take their time when transitioning to the office. They may wish to start off going in two days for the first couple of weeks and then gradually working up to three days in the office. Once they feel comfortable at three days a week on site, they can go to four and then five days in the office. This gradual transition may be helpful for those employees who feel anxious about the change or who need time to make arrangements for childcare.

By supporting employees who wish to “take it slow,” your company is showing workers they are valued members of the team and that employee engagement is important to your organization.

Your employee experience platform can play an important role when your organization is involved in reboarding employees. As you can see from this reboarding employee checklist, the platform is a key point for communication and training during this process. As you welcome your team members back to your office, you’ll want to ensure you are doing everything to make this transition smooth and easy for everyone involved.

Attract, Engage and Retain: The Employee Experience Advantage

In addition to ROI, employee experience measures help companies succeed at retention and recruiting.

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15 Tips for Successfully Reboarding Employees

1. Let employees know you empathize with them

2. Communicate in a positive way

3. Address changes head-on

5. Choose a Covid-19 action plan

6. Provide support resources for reboarded employees

7. Arrange for training before the employee returns to the office

8. Clarify employee responsibilities

9. Discuss employee goals on returning to work

10. Create a safe space where employees can talk about reboarding

11. Check in with team members regularly to offer additional support, if necessary

12. Consider bringing employees back in a staggered manner

13. Give teams time to settle in and figure out the best way to work together

14. Build some flexibility into workloads

15. Allow employees to transition back to the office at their own pace

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