As more people become fully vaccinated and masks and other Covid restrictions recede, many nonprofit leaders are wondering whether — and how — to bring employees back to the office.
If you’re one of them, start by assessing what you would gain by doing so, says Lisa Wright Ponce, senior consultant at Nonprofit HR. Consider whether your organization has a business need to reopen now and whether continuing remote work or blending in-person and virtual operations would help or hinder your group from accomplishing its goals. “Sometimes it’s not really preventing anything,” she says.
Many nonprofit leaders are open to remote work: A recent Nonprofit HR survey of more than 600 nonprofits found that 62 percent rated their pandemic remote work programs a success. Even after pandemic restrictions are lifted, 51 percent plan to permit remote work for positions that can accommodate it.
Before making a decision, it’s also smart to survey your staff to gauge their level of comfort with returning to the office and understand their concerns, Wright Ponce says, so you can try to address them.
Ask what kind of work setup — such as fully in-person or working from home some or all of the time — would best enable staff members to do their jobs, says Eric Schwarz, CEO of College for Social Innovation, a Boston nonprofit that places low-income college students in social-sector internships. “Leadership may come up with a decision that doesn’t meet everyone’s needs or desires, but at least having that listening mind-set is important.”
CSI surveyed its employees in May and found that most wanted to go to the office two or three days a week, on average, Schwarz says. The leaders listened — and the nonprofit is accommodating staff preferences while requiring at least two in-person days a week. Plus, some days each month everyone will come in for staff retreats or other meetings, he says. “I’m hoping this mix of in-person and remote will really be an improvement on exclusively remote or exclusively in person and will allow us to get the best of both worlds,” he says.
This shift will also save CSI a little money. Before Covid struck, about half of the organization’s employees worked in the office full time and half worked from home one day a week. The group was planning to expand its office space but no longer needs to — a change that will probably result in savings of roughly $5,000 to $10,000 annually, Schwarz says. CSI will save some money on its commuting benefit, too, he says, and plans to add new benefits related to working from home, such as helping employees pay for Wi-Fi coverage.
The Chronicle spoke with several nonprofit leaders and human-resource experts who shared advice to help you create a smart plan for reopening your nonprofit’s office so you can support — and retain — your employees and keep them safe. Here’s what they said.
Create a staff return-to-work committee that can help with office preparation, share employees’ concerns and ideas with leaders, and facilitate communication throughout the organization, Wright Ponce says. Seek participants from different teams, levels, and demographic groups to ensure that leaders hear diverse voices.
Document your reopening plans and procedures and share them with your staff. This includes developing written guidance for basic things such as whether the office kitchen will be open and how or whether to use common areas for storing and eating lunch, Wright Ponce says.
Be as flexible as possible. Pressuring people to do things such as go back to the office or get vaccinated can have an enormous cost, says Kira Khazatsky, chief operating officer at Jewish Vocational Service in Boston. “When you push, people push back, and in this particular situation, it’s on steroids,” she says.
What might have seemed like a preference before Covid may feel like a life-and-death situation to someone now, she says, and you may never fully know what makes them feel that way. “Wherever possible, the long game is to be as flexible as you can without impacting the performance of the organization,” she says.
Prioritize mental health. Remember that the events of the past year have taken a heavy toll on people, Schwarz says, and “have as much grace as possible.” As the pandemic retreats, many groups will want to double down on their mission and in some cases take advantage of new opportunities that the crisis has presented, he says. “But I think this summer needs to really be seen as a time of rest and recharging.” Last summer CSI tried to do too much, he says, and now its leaders are adjusting their expectations for what can — and must — be accomplished while putting employees’ well-being first.
Consider a gradual return. People have been isolated for many months, and suddenly states and cities are reopening almost as quickly as they shut down, Wright Ponce says, but from a mental-health perspective, it’s important to consider a phased-in return . That could mean offering a hybrid arrangement or staggering in-person hours — by mornings, afternoons, or specific days of the week, for example — to ease employees back and limit the number of people who are in the office at the same time. “At the end of the day, we want to ensure that staff feel safe,” Wright Ponce says. “And if they’re feeling safe and anxiety is reduced, it’s just a better opportunity for productivity and engagement at all levels.”
Barbara Holland, human-resource adviser at the Society for Human Resource Management, has seen organizations reopen successfully by bringing employees back in phases. For example, bring management first, then another small group, and finally everyone else, she suggests. That way you can identify and correct issues before they affect the entire staff.
Set and communicate your expectations. Determine what kind of flexibility your nonprofit will allow and where it will draw the line, Wright Ponce says, and make sure your team is clear on these points. For example, if you expect people to return to the office by a certain date, say that and explain what options exist for those who aren’t comfortable with that.
If your group does not plan to allow remote work and an employee doesn’t want to come back, she says, you could say you’ll accommodate that individual until a specific date, after which he or she would need to return or leave.
Understand the local and national laws related to vaccination and workplace safety. If your office is in a building run by a property-management company, Wright Ponce says, see what steps — if any — it is taking to comply with regulations because it may be doing some of that work for you.
Seek legal guidance if you are thinking of mandating the vaccine, Holland says, and expect potential resistance. “Employers need to be prepared,” she says. “If they do that, there could be an exodus of employees and so that can disrupt business.”
Also keep in mind that some people may not be able to get vaccinated for medical, religious, or other reasons, she says, and you may be legally required to make reasonable accommodations.
Keep focusing on minimizing risks. Don’t succumb to a false sense of security because of the vaccine, Holland says, since there is still uncertainty about how long immunity will last, among other questions. As you start to bring employees back and resume in-person activities with donors and others, she says, continue doing the things that are proven to help prevent the spread of Covid, including social distancing, wearing masks, sanitation, and staying outdoors as much as possible. Think of the vaccine as extra protection on top of these measures, she suggests.
Ensure equity and inclusion for remote employees if your nonprofit adopts a hybrid workplace, Wright Ponce says. Here are a few ways to do that:
- Include remote workers in meeting invitations and team-building activities if you have them.
- Check in with these individuals frequently, even if it’s just a simple text message or video call to ask how they are doing.
- Survey them about how connected they are feeling to the organization.
- Include them in conversations about job performance and compensation increases and be aware of how remote work may affect managers’ biases.
Prepare a crisis communications plan so you’ll know how to respond should anything go wrong, Holland says, including who will be in charge of what and which communications will take place.
Get guidance for planning your approach. The Centers for Disease Control offers information related to policies, procedures, and logistics that could help you make decisions about reopening the office and resuming in-person events and other activities, Holland says.
Be prepared for increased staff departures. Many people are making pivotal decisions about their lives and careers in the wake of this traumatic year, Khazatsky says. Rather than worry about whether higher turnover might happen, she says, Jewish Vocational Service in Boston assumed that it would and created a strategy to find and build relationships with people interested in joining the organization. For example, the group posted “evergreen” job ads for coaches and teachers, the two most common positions there. Leaders have conversations with applicants and give them ways to get to know the group’s work, such as inviting them to join a class.
Be prepared to adapt as the situation evolves. “Whatever you plan, just assume that you’re going to have to change that plan the day before you reopen,” Khazatsky says.
Go easy on yourself. “No one knows what they’re doing,” says Khazatsky. “Everyone is using all of the wisdom that they’ve accumulated throughout their career to make the best possible decisions for their organizations and their staffs and clients.” You are the expert on your nonprofit, she says, so trust that you have the information you need to steer it well.
