We know 2020 has been a tough year for employees who have been stood down or made redundant. It’s also been tough for HR teams who have had to coordinate and follow-through with these tough decisions.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. There have been glimmers of hope that the economy will improve, recruitment will pick up and companies can welcome back employees who have been stood down. But the latter presents some challenges to HR and business leaders. If you’re in this position, you may be thinking, “How exactly do I ‘re-onboard’ my employees?”

There are steps that must be taken in a re-onboarding process, and it may look different than it would if you were onboarding a brand-new hire. 

Read our tips to ensure you welcome “old” employees back with open arms!

Acknowledge the “new normal”

First thing’s first: acknowledge how different things are now. Most businesses will be operating with a mix of remote and on-location employees for the first time ever.

For on-location employees, there are standard COVID-19 health and safety protocols in place as well as new communication policies. Whether employees are brand new or “old hands”, it’s crucial they understand what’s changed. Sanitary guidelines, hygiene measures, health monitoring such as temperature checks – these are the things in place now that weren’t in place at the beginning of the year.

As well as focusing on all the touchpoints of the employee experience (EX), it’s important to also acknowledge what’s been happening in employees’ lives away from work. Have they been dealing with sick relatives, home-schooling of children and other stressful situations? Showing you care goes a long way in times like these.

Keep the communication flowing

We all know how nerve-wracking it is to be a new starter – even if the person in question has previously worked at the company. They will likely have some concerns about returning to work, which is why it’s important to be as transparent and communicative as possible.

Be upfront about the future plans for the company and status of jobs. You might say, “We plan to bring back 30% of employees, and here’s why…” Explaining the rationale for whatever decisions are being made via multiple communication channels will be well received. Hold town hall meetings (in-person and virtual) and use email and instant messaging to share key messages.

Oh, and one more thing – give employees plenty of opportunity to provide feedback, both anonymously through surveys and directly through manager check-ins!

Changed workloads and/or job descriptions

It’s common for workloads and job descriptions to change during COVID-19. This is because sectors have experienced fluctuations in demand for products and services. Some have seen spikes in demand while others have had a decline in activity.

It’s only natural that employees of companies that have seen redundancies may have been forced to take on additional responsibilities. Again, transparency is the keyword here. Communicate to returning employees how their role has changed, what their new responsibilities are, and what the performance expectations are. And don’t forget to offer additional training and support to those that need it!

Don’t “dumb down” the experience

Remember to acknowledge the past experience of employees returning to the workforce after being stood down. They’ve been there before, they’ve been exposed to onboarding essentials like the introduction of corporate vision and values, as well as rules and regulations. And unless the geographical location has changed, they’ll know their way around the workplace and know who does what (unless this is no longer the case).

But it can’t hurt to provide a light refresher for all of these areas, as people can and do forget! Ask for updated personal details (tax, bank, contact details), re-create log-in details for technology and update contracts as required.

Life has changed. It’s unlikely that employees – old or new – will be returning to a pre-pandemic “normal”. To help ease a sense of disruption in returning employees, try to personalise the onboarding experience as much as possible, be transparent, and be willing to answer any questions that come your way!

HROnboard, an ELMO company, offers a best-in-class software solution that reduces the amount of time HR teams and leaders spend securing the best candidates and undertaking the critical onboarding process for new hires. Our solution also helps manage internal employee role changes and can create a smooth and seamless process for exiting employees. 

ELMO Software offers innovative cloud-based HR & payroll solutions to more than 1600 organisations across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, helping them to manage, engage, and inspire their people. Our solutions span the entire employee lifecycle, from ‘hire to retire’. This includes a comprehensive suite of complementary solutions that further enhance the onboarding experience, namely Recruitment, Learning Management, HR Core, Survey and Connect. For further information, contact us.

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