August 2020 Volume 2

OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT

What Does Work Look Like Now? By Johanna Fabrizio Parker and Corey Clay

At the outset, and in the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you that I have not been in my office since early March. Like so many of us, I have transitioned to full-time remote work status. And like so many of us, the transition has had its ups and downs. (I did have the benefit of working remotely on a part-time basis before the pandemic, but this is different.) So how can I say what work will look like in the months to come? It’s a fair question. I don’t think anyone can say with any certainty. Plus, what work will look like this summer and fall will be different from winter to next year and so on. Even within the last few days of my writing this article, we are seeing local and state leaders mandate mask/face covering, when just weeks ago this was not our reality. (And I recognize that masks have become and are a political issue. But, and without any political agenda, I think they make good sense in the workplace - both as a tangible action to assist in employees feeling more comfortable with coming back and as an action that an employer can identify in the case of a claim that not enough was done to protect workers.) To help with this question, I asked my colleague and friend Corey Clay to join me again. Physical Workplace Logistics: We have all heard and seen the various recommendations for re-opening your office – in terms ranging from physical logistics to employee actions. The following have become almost commonplace, and absent some significant change (i.e., improvement), we see them continuing for an indefinite period: • Temperature checks (and/or self-checking and verification) • Health screening questions • Social distancing (including prohibitions/restrictions on in-person meeting, lunch rooms, and even restroom use) • Some personal protective equipment (e.g., masks) • Enhanced cleaning • Visitor and travel restrictions

These have all enhanced operations costs, whether the direct cost of additional resources and materials or the more indirect cost as to employee time. Plus, we cannot overlook the often unspoken cost to employee morale. Now, and likely for some time, work will not allow for the social interaction that enhances employees’ overall work experience. Employers may want to think about other, new benefits – even bringing in single-serve meals/snacks can enhance the new work experience. Setting the Return to Work Expectation: Some organizations are struggling with whether to come back, given all these costs. Some are concerned about having to reverse course if there is an additional shut-down, or even a resurgence in their area (think Texas or Florida as of time of writing.) Waiting is fine. Given the unprecedented situation we all are in, we can’t see how waiting sets any definite precedent for future “normal” operations. But, and assuming you want employees to return to the office or even think you might, we also caution employers to communicate the message that they are, in fact, waiting. In other words, this is a temporary status. Employers should say: we will be back in the office at some point still to be determined. Or even provide a tentative date – and move it if necessary. What about “Vulnerable Individuals”? On a related note, employers with returning on-site staff should take special care in how they approach employees who want to come back to work. While we see a lot of news about “vulnerable individuals,” generally defined as those over age 65 and/or with underlying medical conditions, that status does not provide employers with a “pass” as to other laws. These individuals still have protections such as the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. If such an employee has not requested any accommodation, an employer does not have to take any action, and taking any action that could be perceived as adverse is not allowed “unless the employee’s disability poses a ‘direct threat’ to his health that cannot be eliminated or reduced by reasonable

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2020 42