We’ve hoped for this day – feared it wouldn’t happen—grieve the ones for whom it came too late – and waited with anxiety and anticipation. 

And here we are.

As of this writing, the percent of people 16 and over who have received at least one dose of vaccine is:

• United States: 35%
• South Carolina: 25%
• Greenville County: 32%

And President Biden has suggested that July 4^th celebrations may safely be in-person, mask-less events complete with handshakes and hugs.

In light of this information, employers are increasingly asking when and how can we:

• End the COVID-19 Remote Work Practices and return the majority of staff to the worksite?
• Eliminate worksite masks and social distancing?
• Safely welcome clients and visitors (or welcome them in larger numbers)?
• Conduct large in-person meetings and events?
• Expect life to get “back to normal?”

While we would all like an answer with a definitive date, reality is, of course, more complex and requires consideration of the interaction of the following perspectives:

1. Health (mental and physical)
2. Science (our best understanding of COVID-19 and of vaccines and treatments)
3. Workplace Productivity (both output and quality)
4. Workplace Culture (communication, camaraderie, and engagement)
5. Work/Life Shift (the lasting, perhaps permanent, impact of COVID-19 on employees and families)

This article attempts to provide a practical framework for businesses to take to develop a plan for getting back to the worksite in a way that accepts and embraces a future built on a post-vaccine new normal.  The framework offered is a “practitioner’s guide” and should be used in conjunction with official guidance available in many places including:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/about-covid-19.html

https://scdhec.gov/covid19

Step 1: Leader Education

As leaders lead, so followers will follow.  Ahead of any plans, gather your leadership team and have an open discussion regarding their concerns and ideas. To make good decisions, the team needs to be as educated as possible (in a seemingly endlessly changing situation), and it may make sense to bring in a health care professional to provide updated information to the team at each change in plans.

Step 2: Involve Your Staff and Customers in Your Plans

Regardless of the data, legal restrictions, and company policies, the most critical influence on the success of your organization is the buy-in of your employees and customers. 

As we all know, the events of this last year have had an enormous impact on most of us, and, collectively, we are not the same people we were a year ago.  Because this is true, the thoughts, attitudes and behaviors that drove the behavior of your employees and customers in March of 2020 may have shifted. 

Before implementing any changes to your employee or customer practices, solicit the thoughts of those stakeholders.  There are several tools for collecting this information including:

• Surveys (anonymous or open)
• Phone calls (individual or group)
• Virtual meetings (individual or group)
• In-Person polls (of employees or customers)
• Combination of the above.

What you choose will be determined by your organization’s size, culture and logistics; however, a successful solution will include this participation. 

Think about:

1. Explaining the “why” behind returning to increased in-person work.
2. Asking for input into what has been gained/improved during the last year. Many employees (e.g. many introverts, individuals with a long commute, and employees who have to do deep thinking or creative work) have seen an uptick in productivity as a result of remote work.
3. Asking for examples of what people are missing (such as camaraderie, synergy from unplanned discussions (e.g. water cooler talk), motivation from seeing others working, etc.)
4. Encouraging discussion or anonymous responses regarding fears and apprehensions about returning to increased in-person work.
5. Asking for examples of logistical issues that may now exist (e.g. childcare due to changed school or daycare schedules; changes in family status due to illness, death, divorce or loss of employment, care for an elderly parent; transportation issues that did not exist prior to the pandemic; etc.)
6. Soliciting potential ideas for solutions to items arising in the prior topics (while not promising to adopt any particular idea).

While it is likely impossible to create a solution that pleases everyone, each of us is more likely to embrace a solution we helped to craft and where our concerns and suggestions were heard even if not adopted.

Step 3: Determine Your Approach to Vaccines

Voluntary or Mandatory?

It may be legal to mandate vaccines for employees if the structure of the business or the industry is such that lack of vaccination has a high likelihood of putting the individual, other employees or the general public at risk.  Examples of such industries could be the health care or travel industries.  However, it is important to remember that:

1. Not every employee in the industry performs the same position and may not have the same risk(s).
2. It is not yet known if vaccinated individuals can still transmit COVID-19.
3. It is not yet known how long immunity to COVID-19 lasts following vaccination.

Additionally, as with any employment requirement, it is essential to comply with legal requirements regarding exceptions:  https://www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-you-should-know-about-covid-19-and-ada-rehabilitation-act-and-other-eeo-laws

Mandating vaccines can potentially create issues in (at least) the following areas:

• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Worker’s Compensation
• Title VII (Discrimination)
• Pregnancy Discrimination Act
• Occupational Safety and Health Act

Many employers and advising entities (attorneys, labor specialists, etc.) are advising a voluntary approach that includes the following:

1. Universal education on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
2. Paid time off to get vaccinated or the ability to remain “on-the-clock” when attending a vaccination clinic. (In some states, paid time off for vaccination is required (e.g. New York (https://wskg.org/news/new-law-guarantees-new-yorkers-paid-time-off-for-covid-19-vaccine/))
3. A careful and thoughtful response to employees to do not wish to receive a vaccination.

As in most cases, recognize that “one-size-does-not-fit-all” with regard to COVID-19 Vaccine and Re-Entry policies.  Decisions must be made based on specific job duties and work environments and may differ by role within the same organization.  However, once guidelines are established for each role, those guidelines should be administered consistently.

Step 4: Address Specific Behavior and Consider the Impact of Multiple Influences

Step 5: Be Prepared for Setbacks

If there is one word we should all know by now, it is “unprecedented.”  Despite our hope of wide-spread vaccine distribution, it is likely that pockets of community spread will occur indefinitely requiring businesses in affected areas to adjust.  Businesses that build flexibility into their operating plans as assume that normal now includes periods of limited in-person work, social distancing and masking will find that these times are less disruptive when they occur.

Finally, we’re almost there, but we have to remain vigilant.  We are tired of wearing masks and standing separated on pieces of tape or circles on the floor.  We are tired of virtual meetings and drive-by birthday parties.  We are tired of daily reports of the latest infection and death numbers.  We. Are. Tired.  But we’re not there yet.  Thoughtful, measured implementation of the above steps will help us increase our in-person workplaces while limiting the risk of community spread – and get us back to the future of working together, in person, in the new normal.

About the Author

Leslie Hayes, SHRM-SCP, and RCC founded The Hayes Approach in 2007. She is a graduate of Harvard (Organizational Psychology) and Eastern University (Masters in Organizational Leadership). She has more than 25 years in Human Resource Management.