In spring 2020, corporate America moved into new territory by sending plenty of people home in a hurry, including San Diego-based CEO Jason Hughes. The COVID pandemic forced a lot of companies to adopt and adapt in a hurry, including those who were traditionally uncertain about the ability to allow employees to work from home. We all learned how to hold video conferences and even figured out how to have virtual baby showers.
This, in addition to the workplace yoga sessions, and other traditional in-person activities. In spring 2022 all across the world, it’s time for more new territory as many companies have decided to start bringing people back. Jason Hughes is generally looking forward to it, and believes that his staff is more creative and collaborative when they can gather in person at the San Diego office rather than on their respective home computers.
But he also understands that some employees are hesitant to return to workplaces, whether they’re in Seattle, San Diego, St. Louis or anywhere. They may have learned how to enjoy aspects of working from home, such as no dress code, no scheduled meal breaks, no commute, and more time with family. They also may be concerned about their health by returning to an unfamiliar environment with people they haven’t interacted with in two years.
Plus, COVID is still a threat.
Even more tempting is that many businesses have raised their rates and are actively looking for people. So, there’s even less incentive for someone to want to go back to “how things were two years ago”. To Jason Hughes, this means employers must do everything they can to make every employee choose to return. This can start with increasing safety factors.These safety factors include spacing furnishings out to encourage social distancing, implementing policies for masks, vaccines or testing, and offering access to disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer. Some San Diego companies are offering hybrid arrangements, where employees can work at home some days and come into the office on others. Jason Hughes said this way, workers can minimize risk but enjoy the opportunity to gather in person.