With the quarantine phase of the COVID-19 outbreak reaching an end in many areas, organizations have started planning their return-to-work initiatives, with some having already launched them.
Let’s look ahead – not to just the immediate “return” phase, but the phase after that- what we’ve defined as the “reimagine” phase.
Our Return to Work Initiative: Respond, Return and Reimagine
When developing our return-to-work program, we decided the best approach would be a phased one. Similar to the concept of continuous deployment, breaking down the plan to allow individuals to quickly process, adapt, and execute practices and procedures makes it more manageable for employers and employees alike.
To summarize each phase and their objectives:
- Respond: involves the immediate steps taken during the initial outbreak
- Return: introduces short-term changes implemented to address all the newly discovered issues
- Reimagine: implements long-terms policies, procedures and best practices to create an agile and resilient workforce
Our Role in the Safe Actions for Employee Return to Work (SAFER) Initiative
On top of our internal developments, we’ve joined the NSC’s Safe Actions for Employee Return to Work (SAFER) initiative. With the aim of delivering a framework designed to ensure an effective and seamless transition back to the workplace, we have joined the ranks with over 100 experts across 50 leading organizations.
This framework, which is broken down into key categories, has been created with the aim of providing organizations with a foundation with which to build their new policies and procedures. Key categories of this framework are:
| Physical Considerations | Medical Health Considerations | Stress, Emotional, and Mental Health Considerations | Employment, Legal, and Human Resources Considerations | Communication Considerations | External Considerations |
| Buildings, Facilities, and Operations | Screening and Reporting | Connecting Employees to Mental Health Resources | Policies and Procedures | Instructions for Arrival | Government Policies and Guidelines |
| Physical Distancing | Responding to Medical Health Concerns | Other Transition Policies and Resources | Management of Change | Personnel and Policy Changes | Community Risk |
| Public Workspace Risk Management | Responding to Medical Health Concerns | Frameworks for Levels of COVID-19 Response Protocols |
How Our Software Solutions Can Help You Adopt the SAFER Framework
Now let’s take a look at a couple of examples of how our reimagine-focused application set can help you champion the SAFER framework. (Use 2-3 of these, not all of them. Have a call to action: To learn more about all of our solutions that can help you adopt the SAFER framework, click here.)
| Key Applications | Objectives | How the Application Works With the SAFER Framework |
| Action Plans | To create action items to introduce controls and foster an environment of continuous improvement | Enables you to document and formalize new internal policies, procedures (applicable to both internal and external changes) and communications plans |
| Application Builder | To develop apps that integrate with other applications to help you drive digital transformation | Allows you to create your own apps to drive efficiency |
| Audit Management | To streamline and improve the audit process with features designed to help demonstrate regulatory compliance and manage risk | Helps you properly document procedures and identify and operationalize efficiencies |
| Compliance Tracking | To help demonstrate compliance with the changing regulatory landscape | Equips you with the tools required to better demonstrate compliance (especially to governmental regulations) |
| Enterprise Risk Register | To identify, minimize and manage hazards and risks | Provides you the foundation with which to build or enhance your risk strategy and plans |
| Incident Management | To track and monitor incident-related data | Helps you find the root causes of and properly document incidents |
| Occupational Health | To identify the root causes, symptoms and effects of health-related issues | Enables you to improve health-related processes and procedures to protect the physical and mental health of your employees |
| Risk Matrix | To identify operational risks, examine their outcomes, impacts, and implement proper measure to address them | Allows you to proactively identify risks to use to improve both internal and external processes and procedures |
| Supplier Relationship Management | To improve existing procurement data management processes to help foster strong business relationships | Helps you manage supplier and partner data to help drive efficiencies and improvements in supplier-related policies |
Looking Ahead
The combined effect of the expertise of the member organizations on the SAFER team with the technical agility of our application set can provide you with all the tools you need to prepare for the reimagine phase.
While further changes are expected to happen in the months that follow, we’re confident that we are more than ready to adapt to them.
To access our ‘Reimagine the New Workplace: A Roadmap to Using Intelex to Support Safe Return to Work framework,’ please click here.
