Return to Work Plans Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has interrupted many businesses across the country. While itโ€™s unclear how long COVID-19 will continue to affect organizations, many employers are looking to the future of employees returning to work.

Echoing the sentiments of public health officials, a return to normalcy wonโ€™t be like flipping a switch, but rather a gradual effort. In preparation for reopening your business and asking employees to come back to work, itโ€™s imperative that your company thoughtfully constructs a return to work plan for its employees to keep everyone healthy and safe following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please note that this article should be used for informational purposes only and should not supersede applicable state or local guidance. Additionally, please review any workplace-specific considerations, which could be more involved depending on the industry you operate in, when drafting your return to work plan.

Return to Work Plans: Introduction

A return to work plan is typically created to help reintegrate workers who have been injured or have been on leave. The plan includes details on how the worker will gradually return to work and any job-related specifics. Its purpose is to formalize steps for a safe and quick return to work.

There are many benefits of return to work plans for both the employer and the employee. Employers can enjoy increased employee engagement, proactive cost containment, reduced turnover, increased communication and improved morale with an established return to work plan. And itโ€™s been proven that employees who go through return to work plans are able to get back to work quicker than those who donโ€™t, meaning that employers will see increased productivity following an employeeโ€™s return to work.

Employees also benefit from return to work plans, as they feel supported by their employer, which increases their engagement and loyalty to the company. Going through a return to work plan also helps them get back to work faster and increases the likelihood that they feel secure and stable in their role.

The benefits of return to work plans are undeniable. While these plans are typically customized on an individual basis, you can use the basics of a return to work plan to build your companyโ€™s approach to asking employees to return to work following the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 Return to Work Plans

COVID-19 has caused many businesses to shut down or transition their employees to work from home, disrupting daily work life for many. As stay-at-home regulations are scaled back and all businesses are allowed to resume as normal, your employees will be asked to come back to work. While they may not be coming back from an injury or leave, you needย to have a plan in place for all employees to safely and successfully return to work.

While you may need to tailor your organizationโ€™s COVID-19 return to work plan to employeesโ€™ specific needs (e.g., child care arrangements, caregiving responsibilities and health issues), having a generalized plan in place can help you safely reopen your business.

Your COVID-19 return to work plan should include the following:

  • Anticipated return to work dateโ€”With the uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought, itโ€™s important to give clear information and dates when employees are to return to work whenever possible. Be sure to be flexible with your dates, though, as local and state orders are frequently updated.
  • Disinfecting and cleaning measuresโ€”Because COVID-19 can remain on surfaces long after theyโ€™ve been touched, itโ€™s important that your business frequently cleans and disinfects the facility. Some best practices include:
  • Cleaning and disinfecting all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, keyboards, telephones, handrails and doorknobs.
  • Discouraging workers from using other workersโ€™ phones, desks, offices, or other tools and equipment, when possible. If necessary, clean and disinfect them before and after use.
  • Providing disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces can be wiped down by employees before each use.
  • Social distancing protocolโ€”Social distancing is the practice of deliberately increasing the physical space between people to avoid spreading illness. In terms of COVID-19, social distancing best practices for businesses can include:
  • Avoiding gatherings of 10 or more people
  • Instructing workers to maintain at least 6 feet of distance from other people
  • Hosting meetings virtually when possible
  • Limiting the number of people on the job site to essential personnel only
  • Discouraging people from shaking hands
  • Employee screening proceduresโ€”To keep employees safe, consider conducting screening procedures to identify potentially ill employees before they enter the office. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission permits employers to measure employeesโ€™ body temperatures before allowing them to enter the worksite. Any employee screening should be implemented on a nondiscriminatory basis, and all information gleaned should be treated as confidential medical information under the Americans with Disabilities Actโ€”specifically, the identity of workers exhibiting a fever or other COVID-19 symptoms should only be shared with members of company management with a true need to know. Be sure to notify employees that you will be screening them to avoid any surprises.
  • Employee safety trainingโ€”Your return to work plan should include detailed safety training guidance to ensure that all employees understand how they can prevent the spread of COVID-19. Your plan should discuss the following safety training topics:
    • Respiratory etiquette and hand hygieneโ€”Businesses should encourage good hygiene to prevent the spread of COVD-19. This can involve:
      • Providing tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles
      • Providing soap and water in the workplace
      • Placing hand sanitizers in multiple locations to encourage hand hygiene
      • Reminding employees to not touch their eyes, nose or mouth
    • Personal protective equipment (PPE)โ€”PPE is equipment worn by individuals to reduce exposure to a hazard, in this case, CVOID-19. Businesses should focus on training workers on proper PPE best practices. Employees should understand how to properly put on, take off and care for PPE. Training material should be easy to understand and must be available in the appropriate language and literacy level for all workers.
    • Staying home when sickโ€”Encourage employees to err on the side of caution if theyโ€™re not feeling well and stay home when theyโ€™re sick or are exhibiting common symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g., fever, cough or shortness of breath).
  • Mental health considerationsโ€”The COVID-19 pandemic has increased stress levels of employees across the country. Itโ€™s important that your return to work plan includes guidance for managing employee mental health concerns when employees return to work.
  • Process for individualized requestsโ€”Employees will be returning to work and facing different situations at home or with their health. Your return to work plan should include information about how employees can go about making individualized requests for changes to a return to work plan. Some may have underlying health conditions that put them at greater risk of severe illness with COVID-19, meaning they may not be able to fully return to work. Others may be facing unique child care arrangements due to schools and day cares being closed. Be flexible and compassionate in your response to individualized requests.

Your return to work plan should be tailored to your businessโ€™s unique needs and should follow local and state regulations. Reach out to Pinkerton Insurance Group for assistance with creating a unique return to work plan for your organization.

Return to Work Considerations

Returning to work after the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to bring challenges to your organization. Some of the most common challenges that youโ€™ll need to be prepared for include the following:

  • Changing worker prioritiesโ€”If your organization asked its employees to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, employees may want to still enjoy work from home arrangements even after the office is reopened. Your organization should be prepared for an increased demand in work from home requests, and you may need to expand your pre-COVID-19 policies to meet this demand. In addition, prospective employees may ask about this benefit when theyโ€™re searching for a job within your company.
  • Updating the office layoutโ€”Due to social distancing protocols, your organization may need to reconfigure the officeโ€™s layout. Per the guidelines, employee workstations should be 6 feet apart to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
  • Adapting to changing rules and regulationsโ€”Due to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, rules and regulations are constantly changing. You should be prepared to change your business practices if needed to maintain critical operations. This could involve identifying alternative suppliers, prioritizing existing customers or suspending portions of your operations.
  • Managing reputational effectsโ€”Given the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic and how much is still currently unknown about the situation, people may have strong opinions about your decision to reopen your business. Youโ€™ll need to be prepared for the reputational effects of reopening your business. By taking the steps to keep your employees and customers safe and healthy, you can manage reputational effects of opening after the pandemic.

Remember, reopening your business after the COVID-19 pandemic isnโ€™t as simple as opening your doors. Youโ€™ll need to carefully evaluate each step of your reopening and gradually ask employees to return to work.

Continued Safety

The next phase of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic involves reopening your business. While this task may seem daunting, weโ€™re here to help every step of the way. Contact Pinkerton Insurance Group today to learn what actions you need to take to ensure your employeesโ€™ return to work is as seamless as possible. 

Share:

More Posts

Small Business Trends: Adapting Insights from Megatrends for 2025

This blog post was originally published by UKGย โ€“ inspiring every organization to become a great place to work through HR, pay, workforce management, and cultureย technology built for all. If you had a crystal ball, you would be able to predict next yearโ€™s small business trends and know exactly how they would impact your company. But we live in the real world โ€• and for that, there is Megatrends.ย  What are Megatrends? Every year, UKG experts research and analyze the state of the global workplace and collaborate with leaders and HR practitioners at organizations of all sizes to determine which trends will likely impact organizations and employees in the year ahead. As a result of this yearโ€™s efforts, UKG has identified three Megatrends set to shape workplaces in 2025.ย  In this blog post, weโ€™ll take a closer look at each Megatrend and apply its insight to how it will affect small businesses this year โ€• and how you can make the most of it for your business. 1. The Escalating Global Labor Deficit: Reimagining Talent Acquisition Organizations in multiple countries are reporting issues around finding sufficient talent โ€• and this deficit is projected to increase dramatically over the next decade. Reasons for this include changing demographics, skills gaps, shifting labor force participation rates, and evolving employee expectations. Meeting this challenge will require a multi-layered talent acquisition strategy to address the current talent shortage while preparing for what lies ahead. Small business trend: How can small businesses meet this challenge? Small businesses will need to adopt innovative and flexible approaches to talent acquisition. This could include leveraging remote work to access a broader talent pool, investing in training and development to upskill existing employees, and creating a stronger brand to attract top talent. Additionally, small businesses might benefit from partnerships with local educational institutions to create pipelines for future talent.ย  HR and payroll technology that includes recruiting and onboarding tools and automated processes can make it easy for you to attract, hire, and retain the best people for your business โ€• even when talent is scarce.ย ย  85.2 million jobs could go unfilled by 2030 based on todayโ€™s global talent deficit.ย  Source: Korn Ferry 2. The Amplified Employee Experience Imperative: Unleashing Engagement Employee engagement has always been a consistent measure of success for organizations of all sizes. However, with current low unemployment rates and increasing talent shortages, its significance has grown, as engaged employees are less likely to leave their jobs. As a result, business leaders are placing a higher priority on engagement, especially since it has shown little improvement over the past decade. To stand out as a preferred employer in a competitive market, organizations need to refocus on creating a people-centric culture and offering an employee experience that builds trust, engagement, and retention. Small business trend: How can this trend be interpreted for the needs and resources of a small business? For small businesses, enhancing the employee experience can be achieved through personalized approaches that larger organizations might struggle to implement. This could include fostering a close-knit, supportive work environment, offering flexible work arrangements, and recognizing and rewarding employee contributions. Small businesses can also focus on delivering clearer communication and providing opportunities for professional growth and development, which can significantly boost engagement and retention.ย  One way to make engagement a more holistic and consistent part of your small business is to implement an HR and payroll solution that prioritizes culture building and can help you identify areas of opportunity to incorporate feedback, recognition, and development into everyday processes for a stronger company culture. 53% of employees are considering new opportunities.ย  Source: Great Place To Workยฎ 3. The Human-AI Advantage: Unlocking Productivity There is no question that accelerating innovation and automation technologies, including Generative artificial intelligence (AI), are transforming work today. Artificial intelligence has been shown to enhance and improve employee productivity and performance. Many organizations are seeing the benefits of AI, but AI tools still rely on quality data and human participation that requires a connection between the two. To operationalize and optimize AI tools, organizations need to invest in their people through skills enhancement and digital enablement while ensuring a foundation of quality data. Small business trend: How can a small business apply AI tools for their businesses, given lower headcounts and potentially fewer resources? Small businesses can start by identifying specific areas where AI can have the most significant impact, such as automating repetitive tasks, enhancing customer service, or improving data analysis. Investing in user-friendly AI tools that donโ€™t require extensive technical expertise can also help. In addition, small businesses should focus on training employees to work effectively with AI and ensuring that they have access to high-quality data, and collaborate with technology vendors to tailor solutions to their specific needs.ย  56% of executives see AI as a job creator in their organizations. Source: Mercer Conclusion The Megatrends influencing the workplace today emphasize discovering fresh and innovative ways to rethink talent acquisition, boost engagement, and enhance productivity. Itโ€™s essential to expand talent pools, transform the employee experience, and leverage AI to drive meaningful and lasting changes in the workplace for more satisfied, engaged employees and improved business outcomes.ย  Considered through a lens of small business trends, this translates into actions such as adopting flexible and innovative strategies to attract and retain talent, creating a supportive and engaging work environment, and using AI to enhance productivity and performance. By doing so, small businesses can not only navigate the challenges of the future but also thrive in an increasingly competitive environment. ย 

The Top 7 Benefits of Payroll Automation Software for Small Businesses

This blog post was originally published byย UKGย โ€“ inspiring every organization to become a great place to work through HR, pay, workforce management, and cultureย technology built for all. For small business owners, keeping your โ€œpayroll machineโ€ running smoothly is a top priority. Payroll is the lifeblood of your employee satisfaction and trust, financial stability, and overall business health. But managing payroll can be a time-consuming and error-prone process, especially as your company grows. Manually calculating wages, withholding taxes, generating reports, and keeping ahead of ever-changing regulations can quickly become overwhelming. This is where payroll automation software comes in โ€” a powerful tool designed to streamline the process and free you to focus on what matters most: running and growing your business. The Power of Automation Manual payroll tasks are not only slow and labor-intensive but also prone to mistakes. A single miscalculation in tax withholdings or overtime pay can lead to very unhappy employees, large IRS penalties, and a heavy financial burden for your business. Payroll automation software eliminates these issues by streamlining the entire process, from data entry and calculations to tax filing and generating reports. This not only saves your payroll team a lot of time but also minimizes the risk of errors that can lead to costly penalties and employee dissatisfaction. Letโ€™s dig deeper into the productivity and time-saving benefits of automated payroll software and see exactly how it simplifies the payroll process: Automated data entry Payroll automation software offers seamless data integration with existing timekeeping systems and employee self-service portals. This eliminates the need for manual data entry of hours worked, deductions, and benefits elections, saving you countless hours each pay period. Imagine the time your payroll team will save by not having to manually enter hours from paper timesheets or track down missing information from employees. Streamlined calculations and withholdings Payroll software handles all the complex calculations for wages, taxes, deductions, and overtime pay. You can set up automatic deductions for benefits, garnishments, and retirement contributions, ensuring everything is accounted for accurately. No more spending hours poring over spreadsheets or relying on error-prone manual calculations. Automated tax filing and payments At last โ€” no more scrambling to meet tax deadlines or manually filing forms! Automated payroll software can handle federal, state, and local tax calculations, deductions, and deposits, ensuring timely payments and compliance with tax regulations. This eliminates the stress of manual tax filing and ensures youโ€™re never late on a tax payment. Effortless report generation Need to analyze payroll trends or generate reports for budgeting purposes? Automated payroll software provides instant access to detailed reports on payroll expenses, employee earnings, and tax liabilities. This allows you to make data-driven decisions and gain valuable insights into your labor costs. You can easily identify areas for cost savings, track employee benefits use, and forecast future payroll expenses. By automating these tasks, you can reclaim hours previously spent on manual payroll processing. This frees up time to allow you to focus on more strategic initiatives, such as culture-building, employee development, and business growth. Imagine the benefits of investing that saved time into creating a great place to work for all and innovating new and better ways to manage all your business functions! However, the benefits of payroll automation software go beyond simply saving time. By automating tasks, youโ€™ll also see a substantial reduction in labor costs associated with manual payroll processing. Hiring and training dedicated payroll staff Payroll processing requires dedicated staff with specialized knowledge. Payroll software eliminates the need for additional payroll personnel, allowing you to allocate those resources to add value elsewhere within your business. You can also free up your budget for other business needs or invest in additional staff for core business functions. Reduced errors and penalties Even a small error in payroll calculations can result in penalties from the IRS or state tax agencies. Automated payroll software minimizes the risk of errors, significantly reducing the likelihood of incurring costly fines and penalties. This can translate to meaningful cost savings for your business. Improved compliance Noncompliance with tax regulations and complex payroll laws can result in hefty fines and penalties. Payroll automation software ensures your business stays current with the latest regulations, reducing the risk of noncompliance and associated fees. Youโ€™ll have peace of mind knowing youโ€™re always adhering to all legal requirements. All these cost savings can be reinvested back into your business, allowing you to focus on growth and development. For example, you can invest in employee learning and development, expand your product line, or offer more competitive benefits to attract and retain top talent. By automating payroll, youโ€™re not just saving money โ€” youโ€™re investing in the future of your business. Payroll Automation Software: Accuracy You Can Count On An automated payroll system ensures that your employees are paid accurately and on time, every time. Itโ€™s designed to handle all complex calculations, including taxes, deductions, and overtime pay, to reduce the risk of human error that can lead to missed payments or incorrect paychecks. This improves employee morale and trust in your companyโ€™s commitment to fair compensation. When your people know theyโ€™ll be paid accurately and on time, it builds a sense of security and loyalty within your workforce. Finding the Right Payroll System for Your Small Business Choosing the right payroll system for your small business is critical for efficiency and growth. So where should you start? Begin by assessing your needs based on your business size, employee types, and desired features. Research established vendors, compare features and pricing, explore system support options, and request demos so you can get a sense of how the system works and how intuitive it will be for your users. Once youโ€™ve narrowed down your list of vendors, start building your case for change to present to leadership. Highlight the solutionsโ€™ time-saving benefits, accuracy improvements, and cost justification, and prioritize a smooth implementation for success and business growth. Empower Payroll with UKG Ready One of the best ways to grow your smaller business

The 4 Benefits of AI for Small HR Teams

This blog post was originally published byย UKGย โ€“ inspiring every organization to become a great place to work through HR, pay, workforce management, and cultureย technology built for all. Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere today, and for many of us, it can all seem a bit overwhelming โ€” especially when it comes to leveraging it for your business and reaping the benefits of AI in HR. But once youโ€™ve got all the facts, itโ€™s easy to see how AI can make day-to-day work for you and your HR team more efficient and impactful than ever.ย  Letโ€™s start with the basics. Simply put, AI is the use of computers to do things that have traditionally required human intelligence. Its algorithms classify, analyze and form predictions from data, then learn from the new data created to improve over time. You use AI every day in devices likeย smartย thermostats, speakers and security cameras.ย You use AI every day in devices likeย smartย thermostats, speakers, facial recognition, and security cameras.ย This type of technology has been leveraged in the workplace for decades. Examples of workplace AI include scheduling recommendations based on a variety of requirements, notifications for possible errors from your payroll solution, and recommendations on how to interpret reports. Generative artificial intelligence, or GenAI, is a subset of AI with algorithms that can be used to create new content, such as text, images, video or code. Maybe youโ€™ve experimented with various GenAI chatbots to see what they can do. But as much fun as it is to see how you might look as a superhero, AI and GenAI tools have many valuable business applications that are revolutionizing the ways we work today. If your organization uses a human capital management (HCM) platform, youโ€™ve probably already seen AI in the form of automated administrative tasks, personalized learning or virtual assistants. But what does all the recent buzz about AI and GenAI mean for HR teams โ€” especially those in smaller to mid-sized businesses?ย  To separate fact from fiction, here are four common misconceptions and the actual benefits of AI for HR to show how it can transform the way your HR team manages your organizationโ€™s people and can meet its business challenges.ย  Misconception: The benefits of AI for HR only apply to large enterprise and/or high-tech organizations. Actual benefit: AI makes work easier and more efficient for all organizations and HR teams. ย  Itโ€™s not surprising that many people think AI isnโ€™t for smaller organizations because sophisticated technology can seem overly complicated and out of reach. But the truth is, AI simplifies work for HR teams of all sizes by automating repetitive tasks while helping them make better data-driven decisions and focus on more strategic business initiatives.ย  Most HCM technology solutions that manage HR, payroll, talent and time include AI that streamlines such tasks as recruiting and hiring, onboarding, performance management, compliance, and benefits administration. If you have received recommendations on how to create things like schedules or received notifications of possible errors, these tools are powered by AI. More recently, GenAI capabilities have been added to these solutions to guide employees, people managers and HR leaders with conversational insights, actions and answers to questions that can help their organizations become great places to work for all. These GenAI โ€œsidekicksโ€ provide meaningful, personalized information in the moment and recommend next steps so users always stay ahead.ย  Misconception: AI will replace human workers.ย  ย  Actual benefit: AI enhances human capabilities such as creativity and reasoning. ย  Although AI makes day-to-day work processes easier and more efficient, as an HR professional, youโ€™ve likely heard employees express fear about losing their jobs โ€œto a machine.โ€ย  The reality is that, rather than replacing us, AI can be used to enhance the emotional intelligence that makes us human. After all, businesses are created and run by people, for people, so human emotions such as feeling empowered and connected, having empathy for others and taking pride in a job well done are always going to play a major role in business success โ€” and something AI canโ€™t remotely replicate.ย  Additionally, AI could help smooth that path forward and help provide guidance on how to continue to foster the growth of your people and the company. To help your people, AI can be used to help you create flexible scheduling options to accommodate an employeeโ€™s personal obligations, spot concerning trends to address burnout, and streamline collaboration and reporting for more purposeful work. By allowing AI to give you a birdโ€™s eye view and provide you with recommendations on how to move forward based on the data and proven practices, youโ€™ll be able to leverage AI to make improvements you may not have otherwise seen.ย  Misconception: AI is expensive and time-consuming to execute.ย Actual benefit: The long-term ROI of implementing AI outweighs short-term disruptions. ย ย  Implementing AI for your small to medium-sized business may seem daunting, but resisting this technology could end up costing you more than you might realize in terms of lagging productivity and market competitiveness.ย  The organizational efficiencies gained through AI can greatly offset the cost of implementation. And while it may take a while to get everyone up to speed on the new technology, making that time investment will greatly boost business growth and productivity in the long run.ย  For HR teams specifically, AI tools can help enhance the entire HR lifecycle, from helping you create compelling job listings to attract top talent to giving you recommendations on how to retain your people as they continue to grow with your company. AI can also help your team become more knowledgeable and efficient, resulting in better decision-making and improved business outcomes. Misconception: Using AI is risky for HR. Actual benefit: AIโ€™s full potential can be safely leveraged with the right data security and privacy safeguards. As with any new technology, accuracy and data privacy and security are going to be top-of-mind issues for any organization deploying AI tools โ€” and for HR teams, that will mean prioritizing the safety of sensitive employee and company information. This

Can a Small Business be a Great Place to Work?

Can a Small Business be a Great Place to Work? This blog post was originally published byย UKGย โ€“ inspiring every organization to become a great place to work through HR, pay, workforce management, and cultureย technology built for all. With seemingly endless modern job perks on the rise, HR professionals at small businesses may be wondering how they can compete with larger organizations to attract and retain the best talent. For an already resource-strapped company, it can be overwhelming to think about spending more time and money to win the war for talent against those with big budgets and dedicated teams focused on culture and engagement. But it’s critical not to get lost in the noise here. Instead, when competition for talent is high, smaller organizations need to ask a simple question as they wade through all the perks and initiatives their larger counterparts engage in โ€” is that what really matters to people? We can all agree that free food and office yoga classes are nice incentives, but research from Great Place to Workยฎ shows that employee retention is less about the perks and more about creating a company culture of care. Itโ€™s about trust, leadership, human connection, wellness, and belonging, diversity, equity, and inclusion. So with that in mind, what should small businesses rally around to create stand-out cultures? Let’s take a look. ย What’s easier for small businesses? Because small businesses are, well, small, itโ€™s easier for them to build and foster trust โ€” the defining component of a great workplace. Whether itโ€™s more transparency or less corporate hierarchy, small businesses can use this advantage to find and keep the talent they need to thrive. After all, a great workplace is one where employees trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do, and enjoy the people they work with. And if size doesnโ€™t dictate great culture, then yes, a small business can be a great place to work with the right mix of core values. As we get into some more specific examples of how HR pros at small businesses can use the advantages they have to build an employer brand and invest in company culture, take a look at the diagram below to see the five core elements of building trust with employees and where in the organization employees look for those elements: What can small businesses do to create great workplaces? There’s no single blueprint or one-size-fits-all approach to building a great place to work. There are, however, some common areas you should investigate as starting points. Looking into the following areas may help you map the key points in an employee’s journey with your company and reinforce cultural values like trust, respect, purpose, and community. Start day one off strong with a thoughtful onboarding process Employees want to feel connected to the organization, and as a small business, itโ€™s easier to make that personal from the beginning. A positive first impression is imperative to an employee’s wellbeing, and people often form that impression before they even join your organization. Completing redundant tasks and leaving new hires wondering what steps to take next will negatively impact their overall experience. By connecting your recruiting and core HR processes, you can ensure new hires trust that their success is top of mind for their manager. Looking for a specific idea? Try building out individualized 90-day action plans as part of your onboarding experience. Prioritize career development Have you heard of an internal talent marketplace? It’s a more efficient, technology-driven employee management and retention system. It leads to better retention through tracking the skillsets of employees and helping them to further develop and build upon those skills, and it works with them to build a career path within the organization. To do this, there needs to be a commitment to support fair and consistent performance and succession strategies that identify, nurture, and develop top talent. Small businesses often have flat structures, which allows employees more visibility and connection. These broader learning opportunities ultimately keep everyone invested in the companyโ€™s culture, and both internal and external job seekers will view your organization as one that prioritizes career development. Focus on all aspects of wellbeing Great Place to Work surveyed over 14,000 people from 37 countries to better understand trends in the average workerโ€™s day-to-day experiences of wellbeing in their workplace, and found that while employee experience is influenced by many factors, there are a few key areas HR needs to focus on to promote positive employee wellbeing: ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Mental and emotional wellbeing: The first step in promoting mental health at work is to talk about it. Over the last two years, mental health has come to the forefront for many of us as we experienced the pandemic, the challenges of navigating remote work, and social unrest. This is an issue that affects all people, at all levels in an organization. Mental wellness check-ins, providing resources, and offering formal programs are becoming priorities for many organizations moving forward. ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Sense of purpose: Aligning an individualโ€™s role with the organizationโ€™s values correlates to a higher sense of purpose, which has been linked to higher resilience and more favorable views of employers. Weโ€™ll talk a little bit more about purpose later. ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Personal support and meaningful connections: When employees are given proper resources and workplace flexibility, theyโ€™re more likely to have a positive sense of wellbeing. Supportive social relationships within a team are also important, as an environment of equity and inclusion is necessary to create psychological safety and teamwork. ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Financial wellbeing: Many people spend a significant amount of time worrying about their personal finances at work. Itโ€™s important that employees earn enough to feel financially stable, and that your workplace promotes equal pay practices, but what more can be done? Offering programs that give employees access to their pay before pay day, for instance, has been linked to improvements in productivity and reduced absenteeism. ย  Celebrate your people’s achievements to foster a sense of purpose Nearly 50 percent

Contact Us

Tired of Payroll & HR Frustrations?

Just write down some details and our customer success heroes will get back to you in a jiffy!

Skip to content