Life After Furlough. Back-to-Work Guide
Published: 10/10/2020
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The furlough scheme is far from new. Now, it has been revived from years of dormancy due to the pandemic. In this article, we will talk to employers about how to re-engage their staff when the furlough period ends. We understand this to be a source of anxiety as the Job Retention Scheme approaches its conclusion. Their workplace has changed, and it’s your responsibility to ensure your workers adapt to these changes.
The pandemic revived a practice that had not been utilised in years: furlough, as part of the Job Retention Scheme. It was introduced to preserve workplaces despite businesses facing financial difficulties caused by the lockdowns. Frankly, it worked. ONS data from the summer of 2020 showed that less than 1% of the workforce faced redundancy in each two-week survey period. This demonstrates that the initiative achieved its goal of saving jobs and ‘retaining the connection between employees and their workplace. ' However, all things must come to an end. The scheme ends in September 2021.
This, however, doesn’t mean that businesses are no longer allowed to extend the furlough status of their employees. In theory, it can continue. But the companies won’t receive financial support from the government anymore. The Job Retention Scheme itself isn’t permission to utilise the furlough scheme per se. It’s a measure the government has taken to provide businesses with financial aid to continue paying their staff a minimum wage instead of firing them. Surely, not many companies are eager to continue with the furlough under these circumstances. But are they ready to welcome the employees back?
Back in March 2020, millions of people in the UK were placed on the government’s furlough scheme. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said it “has done what it was designed to do – save jobs and help people back to work, where they want to be."
However, as the scheme ends and the workers return to the workplace, they will learn that this is no longer the environment they once knew. The pandemic caused many businesses to change their processes permanently, either by moving to completely remote offices or adapting to a hybrid workplace. Depending on the duration of the furlough period, the returning staff will likely need to be re-onboarded to get up to speed with the changes that occurred during their absence.
You should have a plan in place for when your employees return from their furlough leave. Include these measures to support their return:
Gauge how your workers feel about coming back to help them re-integrate easily;
Catch them up to speed on what’s been going on in their absence;
Prepare a re-onboarding plan;
Nurture team spirit and inclusion;
Define changes that occurred while they were away and help them adapt.
Below, we will elaborate on these measures further.
It is as crucial as ever to communicate with the returning staff to support them. Simply letting them figure things out on their own will inevitably lead to a drop in productivity and frustration on both sides. As an employer, it’s your duty to re-integrate your staff into the business. This is achieved through establishing smooth and two-sided communication.
While some staff may have appreciated the downtime during the furlough, others will be eager to return to their jobs. Each employee will feel differently about coming back to work. Recognising this allows everyone to re-engage not only with their role but also with the wider team. However, due to peer pressure, it’s likely that some will alter their response to what they perceive as the preferred answer if asked directly. This could be unhelpful for everyone, as you might tailor an approach that is unsuitable for them, potentially leading to resentment. In the long run, this is likely to affect their overall performance.
A good idea is to send out an internal survey before and after employees return to work instead of calling them on the spot. This would provide you insight into where individual people across your organisation stand. It will also help you identify and resolve any concerns they may have. Additionally, following the first month of the furloughed staff returning, you can establish weekly (or bi-weekly) one-on-one catch-ups. During these, the staff can privately share their thoughts and experiences about returning to work. Depending on your relationship, this may yield great results in the form of honest replies. However, if your employees don’t trust you, they are likely to provide the answers they think you want to hear.
If there have been any changes since staff were furloughed, it’s important to catch them up on that. Consider establishing a ‘go-to’ area within your employee intranet, where people can access the latest information (this will also save them from trawling through hundreds of emails and potentially missing important notices). For example, shared document storage could be an excellent way to provide everyone access to the log of changes that occurred during their absence. This platform can continue to document future updates.
Additionally, learn to utilise digital tools for meetings and conferences. This will help keep communication strong within your company. It is especially important if you plan to adopt the hybrid office model (which we highly recommend). In that case, you will need to find a way to maintain seamless communication between the staff on-site and those working remotely. Post-furlough, many of your workers are likely to feel estranged from their colleagues, especially those who continued to work throughout the lockdown. This is why this is a critical time to bring returning employees up to speed by creating as many open communication channels as possible. Otherwise, you won’t be able to achieve pre-pandemic team alignment, and your performance will suffer.
You may not acknowledge the grandiosity of the changes your business underwent during the lockdown. It’s because you were there, and to you, it was gradual. However, a returning employee with no such visibility is likely to be thrown off by how much everything has changed. Ultimately, the company they’ve known and the company they’re returning to are two different entities. This means you will be required to onboard them once again.
In addition to changes that are unique to each business, there are several that every company must implement to allow a return to its premises. Government guidelines state that businesses must provide a Covid-secure workplace for employees. Rules vary between industries but generally include the following:
Ensure social distancing is maintained to limit contact between staff, clients and customers;
Remove direct contact where possible – for instance, by closing communal spaces and using drop-off points if items need to be shared between colleagues;
Use clear signage to reinforce messaging around social distancing and personal hygiene, placing it in areas where staff can easily see it (such as doorways);
Increase cleaning of busy areas, of any goods delivered to the workplace, and vehicles shared between employees;
Create clear policies around steps employees should take if they feel unwell with COVID-19 symptoms, and set who should be in the workplace and when so that employees can be contacted and asked to self-isolate if required;
Maintain an open dialogue with staff to alleviate risk, especially those in vulnerable groups, or people who have regular contact with someone considered vulnerable.
It’s important to recreate that sense of community across your workforce. This will help give furloughed employees the confidence and motivation to engage in their jobs and reconnect with their peers. In today’s ever-evolving economy, companies must foster a sense of shared purpose within different teams and throughout the entire organisation. Your team is likely to be misaligned upon their return due to individual differences that may have emerged during furlough. The first thing you need to do is provide them with new, shared experiences.
Even small gestures can make a big difference when it comes to welcoming employees back to work. For instance, you could create ‘welcome’ packs that include items such as masks and hand sanitiser, or even a gift card in support of a local business. Depending on the regulations in your area, try to arrange a little staff outing to either a restaurant or just a park. In other words, remind your team of the connection they’ve shared in order to rekindle it. The best teams don’t just work together; they achieve alignment and collaboration by also playing together.
Totaljobs found that almost six in ten (59%) people look forward to returning to the office as they want to restore some structure in their lives. However, 32% remain concerned about their safety during the commute. This suggests that while employees are eager to return to their routines, they also expect their workplace to provide flexibility. Before the pandemic, remote working or flexible hours were rare perks, whereas later they became necessities. Listening to the numbers, it’s evident that the dominant demand is to find a middle ground between pre and post-COVID working styles.
One option for introducing a smooth transition is to allow flexible hours. This means staff can start and/or finish outside of the typical rush hour, which allows them to feel safer when travelling. This can help them feel more in control while still reaping the benefits of a work routine. Additionally, if jobs can be done remotely, you should definitely offer this for the time being, especially with the government urging people who can work from home to do so.
Additionally, introducing a hybrid office approach would be a good idea. This way, your employees would only need to come into the office a few times a week, allowing them to manage their time better and potentially improving their productivity. If you’re implementing flexible working practices, you need Timesheet Portal. Our unique software includes a time-tracking module that lets you easily and accurately monitor employee working hours. Available in days or hours, in a combination of units or rate types, such as overtime.
The key challenge of greeting the staff back when furlough ends is defining what changes have occurred in their absence and how to bring them up to speed. Ultimately, you will need to onboard your employees once again; therefore, it’s best to tailor the process and follow-up initiatives ahead of time. Whether it’s informing them about new in-office safety regulations or enrolling them in a training program for the newly acquired software, you need to build a smooth, end-to-end reintegration program.
Additionally, you’ll need to invest time and effort in rebuilding relationships across the team. Since we are not likely to return to the office full-time, this may pose an issue. Address it by investing in collaboration tools and hosting team-building events, even if only remotely. The key to supporting returning furloughed staff is being there for them and encouraging as much communication as possible, both with you and among team members themselves.
Are you ready to greet your staff back? Ask us for support.