BACK TO BUSINESS: "What has changed and what has stayed the same? Does your office need to be reimagined and reinvigorated... ?"(BUSINESS & FINANCE)

• Author: May, Kelly

ACCORDING TO the Census Bureau and Statistics Canada, at the beginning of 2021, one-third of households in the U.S. and Canada reported that they were working mostly from home during the pandemic. As restrictions ease and organizations reopen, leaders need to consider strategies around work, the workplace, and the workforce.

"We've been used to working from home --walking the dog, dealing with the kids, not having to commute or travel, and having regular meals with the family. If we want to ensure our organization's future success, we need to communicate to our workforce our plans sooner rather than later to ensure we allow for an adjustment period before everyone is back in the office," explains Leon Goren, president and chief executive officer of PEO (Presidents of Enterprising Organizations) Leadership. "There are definitely going to be some challenges for businesses who are ready to transition back to an in-person work environment. It's better to plan ahead and consider your options."

As a leader, there are a few key considerations you should be taking into account:

* How will your organization be operating? Will you work primarily in the office, from home, or in a hybrid model? Is your organization even able to consider various options and still meet its corporate goals and objectives in this new post-COVID environment? If you are considering a hybrid approach, will you have mandatory days for employees to be present and should you be concerned about density and/or the capacity of the office? Have you thought about two or three days in the office and which days they would fall on? (Is it fair that some will have long weekends while others will have to be in the office on Monday or Friday?)

* What is your internal company position on employees receiving the COVTD-19 vaccine? Will you expect your staff to have the vaccine before returning to work? Will you be tracking uptake? Are you able to ask those questions? Will mask wearing be mandatory or optional? Is there a possibility that it may create discrimination in the workplace?

* How will you conduct your business development? How do you plan on engaging current and potential clients? Will you allow customers to visit the office? Will your employees be expected to travel to customer locations--locally, nationally, and internationally?

* How will your decisions affect competing for talent and employee retention? As the economy roars back and accelerates, finding the right, capable talent...