Planning to welcome your people back from furlough: Simple tips for success

Welcoming back your people from furlough is something to celebrate and hopefully marks the end of something we’ll never have to do again.

Still, you’ll need to invest time into making reintegration easy as possible. For you and for them.

Here are some headline points to think about.

Consultation is key

It’s important never to assume you know how people will want to be dealt with, so ask questions about what they want from you when coming back to the workplace.

Remove the worry

Anxiety can often be caused by not knowing what is happening when. Reassure your colleagues by communicating what will happen and when. This will help remove speculation and anxiety about returning to work.

Get the welcome banners out

Put on a welcome-back event. Set time aside to bring everyone together and have a company social. It needn’t be a grand affair but something that will see colleagues catching up with each other in an informal setting.

It’s also an excellent opportunity to bring everyone up to speed with what’s been happening in the company and showcase your vision.

Be prepared for questions

Your people will probably have a lot of questions and will want reassurance. Set time aside to offer ‘drop ins’ with your colleagues to allow them to ask questions that they need answers to.

Plan the return to work

Take a step back and think about planning a return to work from your employees’ perspective. Approach the return to work as almost the same process as welcoming a new employee to the business.

It’s good to talk

Communication is vital. Review your internal communications and check if they should be improved.

Again, it doesn’t have to be an all-singing and dancing programme of activity, but a plan should consider proactive communication and how that would work depending on the size of your workforce.

Provide the right support

Implement an employee platform that engages your people and gives them access to various workplace benefits and mental health support.

Mental and physical wellbeing services are vital in creating a caring environment and ensuring organisational success. For more information about our health and wellbeing services, visit www.nugentsante.com

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