Planning a phased and safe return to physical workplaces

EY’s Physical Return and Work Reimagined framework brings a technology-enabled, risk-based methodology approach for organisations post COVID-19.
By: | May 15, 2020
Topics: Employee Experience | Health and Wellness | HR Technology | Learning and Development | News

Designed to strengthen workforce resilience and help see a safe return to physical work environments as countries around the world begin to ease COVID-19 mobility restrictions and seek to resume higher rates of economic activity, EY has launched a suite of workplace and transformation tools.

The Physical Return and Work Reimagined framework is staggered in two gears and includes a suite of technology assessment and analytics tools designed to help manage risk and compliance, and enhance the employee experience.

Mike Bertolino, EY Global People Advisory Services Leader, said, “By putting people first, organisations can build and maintain trust with their employees, their customers and their stakeholders.

“As many organisations focus on the process of returning their workforce to physical spaces, the biggest question they face now is how to begin. Organisations will need to completely reimagine their business model and transform, if they are to thrive in a post-COVID-19 world.

“The EY Physical Return and Work Reimagined framework will equip global organisations with a way forward for the longer-term.”

Gear One of the framework provides immediate, actionable steps to help ensure the safety of employees while achieving operational capacity. It is rooted in a broad approach to readiness testing and includes an operational command center for the phased return of the workforce.

In addition to providing the tactical steps and “day 1” resources needed to facilitate the recovery and resumption of business operations, Gear Two provides the long-term framework and technology-enabled data and insights to help organisations identify operational vulnerabilities, drive future workforce-related transformations and prepare themselves for a ‘next normal’.

Norman Lonergan, EY Global Vice Chair, Advisory, added, ““The actions businesses take today will determine not only their short-term success, but their long-term enterprise resiliency. The framework that is launched today will accelerate an organisation’s ability to adapt to change and uncertainty, while bringing to life a trusted transition process that prioritizes the health and safety of the workplace and beyond.”