How have we got back to productive and safe work in the office?

More than 4 months have passed since the beginning of the quarantine in Ukraine. Most companies have transitioned to remote work. At the beginning of the quarantine, many employees faced the inconvenience of working from home, while the companies management was trying to optimize work processes and make the transitioning to remote work easier for their teams. Back then I wrote a blog about maintaining business efficiency during forced transitioning to remote work. But now we are adapting to a completely new mode of office work-a mix of pre-quarantine realities and the experience of distance work. The end of self-isolation and the exit to the office became equally stressful for employees after more than two months of quarantine. Even those employees who had seemed to be looking forward to return to the office atmosphere, unexpectedly for themselves faced certain difficulties or inconveniences. How did we solve these problems?

Difficulties faced by team members and how to fix them

Fear and hypochondria. It’s absolutely adequate to worry about your health and the health of your relatives in current situation. After such a long quarantine, so many safety recommendations and daily quarantine updates in all media resources, such fear has subconsciously developed in our minds. Now the road to work, social gathering and new acquaintances represent a certain barrier for us. However, we can’t stay at home until a vaccine is found.

In the company, we fixed this issue with concern for employees. First, new office rules were defined and implemented: temperature screening, frequent cleaning with wiping of constantly contacted surfaces, sanitizers at the entrance-in a word, the required minimum. There’re always masks in the office, and at the first symptoms of a cold, the employee immediately goes home regardless of the position or task.

Secondly, we’ve got back to the office by steps, starting with those whose presence in the office is most needed. The preference was given to employees with personal transport to understand how the start of public vehicles operation would affect the situation in cities.

Thirdly, we have updated the insurance policy, which includes both basic COVID-19 treatment and more frequent compulsory medical examinations.

Loss of motivation for work and social interaction. It’s worth remembering that for two months we had not only stop going to an office, but also left the house only to buy some food. The global pandemic has made many people to experience anxiety, depression, and fear. The employees emotional needs have been destabilized by different factors from fear of losing their jobs to a global emergency on a scale not seen since the Spanish flu.

In such circumstances, a team needs psychological support. So the heads of departments were given the tasks to have individual conversations with each about the possible fears of working from office and the company’s role in this process. Discussion of successful projects and plans for the future had a positive effect: the very conversation about plans and prospects showed that life had changed, but didn’t end in no case.

Remote work as an already familiar operating mode. Keep remote work as an option. This will ensure the flexibility for employees and increase their satisfaction with the work process. If your business has survived the quarantine, then you already have a successful digitalization and remote team work experience, but it is important to continue monitoring the team effectiveness.

How LeoGaming team had been returning to usual (office) regime

The points described above were used when the LeoGaming team was getting back to the office. We left quarantine gradually by groups, adhering to the the WHO recommendations. Everyone was happy with the previous live meetings, office atmosphere and quick communication.

However, it is obvious that for two months at home, we have got used to home comfort and peace. We wanted our employees to feel the same in the office, so we had meals together and brought treat to the office. We’re lucky: the number of online payments has only increased during the pandemic, so all of the above is due to the fact that we supported the growing dynamics. This is your most valuable asset, against which even the coronavirus is an equation that can be simplified.