The Government's Covid roadmap is expected to include a phased return to the office for many workers that have been operating remotely since March 2020.
However a shift back to the office is likely to present a variety of challenges for employers as well as employees.
Some workers may find that their home office suits their needs better than a centralised location, however staying remote into the future may not be a choice that they have.
"Each person’s contract of employment would set out where their place of work is, and for the majority of workers pre-covid, it would state the office as the place of work," said Caroline Reidy, managing director of The HR Suite . "Unless that is contractually agreed – in other words through a negotiation between the parties – the place of work remains the office."
However Ms Reidy says that, in practice, it would be best if employers could speak to their staff to find out what their preference is – and try to work out an arrangement that meets their needs, as well as the needs of the company.
"In practical terms if we want to retain and attract really good people, keeping that stance without that consultation and that negotiation, I don’t think that’s actually going to work," she said.
There are likely to be many who want to get back to the office sooner rather than later, perhaps because their home office lacks the space or privacy that they require.
Similarly, Ms Reidy says these workers should communicate that desire with their bosses in order to increase the odds that they will be part of the early phases of an office return.
Many employers are expected to operate a hybrid work model, initially at least, which will make it easier to meet social distancing requirements while also catering to those who want to do some work from home.
They may also decide to ask certain parts of the company back to the office for operational reasons, while leaving others remote for the foreseeable future.
However what they cannot do is split their workforce based on vaccination status – which is information they cannot ask for, even if they might have a good idea of their workers' situation already.
"Vaccination is one of the biggest hotspots of this entire phase and return – because we can’t ask if someone is vaccinated or not, even if employers already know because they gave staff time off to go and get vaccinated," she said. "We can’t use that information to disadvantage or advantage parties."
She said that companies will instead have to rely on good virus mitigation measures, like good ventilation and adequate social distancing, with vaccinations acting as an added layer of protection.
"Not everybody will be, as we know, even though we are very high in terms of the percentage of people that have been [vaccinated]," she said.
Employers will also have other challenges to overcome, and may have to wait for further clarity around the rules that will apply.
And with 20 September said to mark the start of the return, they will need to start their planning soon – if they haven’t already.
"I think there’s going to be a reluctance with some staff, they’ve gotten very used to working from home and the work-life balance it offers," said Ms Reidy. "For others they may have relocated, because you can work remotely now very easily, and for many that work-life balance might be something they’ll struggle to give up.
"But I think working collaboratively together, with a good lead time, will allay a lot of the fears people have."
