Novarica’s move to an all-virtual 2020 events calendar has been a digital journey, one that we have had the unique opportunity to experience together with our Research Council members. Our Weekly Virtual Town Halls have become a great way for us to bring our insurer client and Council community together. This represents a very powerful and flexible capability, which is one “silver lining” of the emerging New Normal coming from the pandemic.
Novarica will continue these sessions every Tuesday from 1-2 PM EST through midyear. Each week will focus on new and emerging issues related to the pandemic. Last week, a trio of Novarica VPs discussed what a possible return to the office might look like and what implications an early return may have.
The Evolving New Normal
COVID-19 has created a disruption to personal, professional, and business lives that has been both structural and likely to persist for an extended time into the future. Our discussion began by addressing the various ways states are reacting to the pandemic, providing localized guidance on approaches to reopening economies. Town Hall participants shared localized variations on when employers can return to offices and what the relaxation processes from shelter-in-place measures will be.
Rob McIsaac, Novarica’s SVP of Research and Consulting, commented on this by saying that business continuity plans should adapt to reflect these approaches, while at the same time presuming that there is not a clear, linear pathway to “normal.” While we could see infection rates simply drop, a more likely scenario is a series of ebbs and flows, which could create a revolving door of sorts in terms of staff being able to use office space and required to WFH. This has a wide array of technical, operational, and managerial implications.
Possible best practices for a return to the office were also touched on during the session. Key components of a plan can include alternating office time by departments, weekly sanitations, and directional hallways. Panelists agreed that certain precautions would be necessary for a return to the office, but they raised the question as to why insurers would want to rush the move. A major Tier-1 carrier based in New England has stated that they did not see a return to the office as a viable option if their employees would be required to wear masks and would be forced to avoid conference rooms.
With the inherent risks associated with “soft openings,” insurers should make sure they understand their employee’s desires and fears before moving forward with a top-down decision. Additionally, a blanket response may not be the best way forward as employees have different preferences related to remote work as well as varying ages and health conditions.
Prioritizing Culture
Deb Zawisza, Novarica VP of Research and Consulting, encouraged executives to focus the “return to the office” discussion on what is best for employees in the context of company culture. Defending a decision to not return to office by citing financial savings in lease payments can be as detrimental as a forced return with relationship-crippling regulations in place.
Right now, transparency and building trust internally is critical, particularly with high levels of angst and uncertainty for many employees. One bright note is that we hear that many employees give their companies very high marks for their actions to date, which has created a halo effect related to “keeping promises” and a sense of loyalty. Companies will want to be careful not to squander this as they move toward whatever comes next.
Role of the Office
A key issue companies should consider is the specific purpose(s) for wanting to gather employees in a single location. One carrier Novarica has spoken with talked about returning to their building as soon as possible because they felt it was an essential piece of their culture. Others have noted that the office environment has been seen as being key to collaboration and shared experiences.
Understanding, very specifically, what office-based experiences are for can help frame return plans both in terms of who will be impacted and how urgently they should act. Office space reconfigurations, to encourage social distancing and reduce infection risks, also appear to be part of the evolution later in 2020 as companies consider a range of both human resources policies and potential legal liabilities if they fail to provide a safe work environment.
One participant noted that they are closely following what other employers (even in other industries) are doing in their local labor market to be sure that they stay in sync with local policies and practices. This reflects an interesting issue: In some regions state-level requirements aren’t driving responses, county-level needs are.
The full recording of this session, and the associated presentation materials, can be accessed here.
This week, Novarica will further discuss the impacts of this pandemic and focus our discussion on budgets and planning for 2021. We look forward to sharing these and other new insights as the second quarter unfolds.
Add new comment