How are legal workplaces in Queensland dealing with the stage two step down approach to COVID-19?
by Rolf Moses, Queensland Law Society Chief Executive Officer
I have been in contact with a number of law firms of varying sizes in Queensland over the last weeks, to establish how they are managing their workforce as COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease. Workers still seem guarded about taking public transport, physical distancing measures have not changed and Government advice still says work from home if it works for you and your employer.
No ‘one size fits all’ approach
From the many discussions we have had with law firm managing partners and practice managers, it is interesting to note that there does not seem to be a ‘one size fits all’ approach for practices in making decisions about when their team members should return into the office and on what basis that should occur.
These considerations are impacted by staff numbers, square metres and work type, but also building infrastructure like lift size, end of trip facilities, size of lobbies, number of other tenants in the building, and so on. What seems to be consistent however is that from Monday 1 June 2020 the vast majority of firms that we spoke to — which ranged in size from small firms through to global firms — have commenced transitioning staff back to into the office on some basis.
Different organisations are approaching this in different ways. Many smaller firms are pretty much back to normal with most staff back in the office. Apart from one firm, no larger firms that I spoke to have the entire staff returning to the office at this stage. Almost all larger firms who have staff returning to work are doing so in a combination of a rotational, staggered roster or proportionate basis. For example, some firms are bringing back to the office 20–30% of their staff and then each week adding 10–20% of their staff on top. Some organisations are rotating team members in between working in the office and working from home so that, on average, there is about a 50% mix of staff physically on site at any one time. Some organisations have discussed implementing staggered start times so that people can avoid peak hour traffic and congestion on public transport, others have allowed each business unit to make its own call as to who works from home or in the office based on the most efficient way their teams can function.
Managing physical distancing and hygiene
Generally the approach to returning to the office has been cautious and gradual. Firms are concerned about maintaining physical distancing and elevated hygiene protocols. Bringing everyone back to the office at once makes it harder to control these variables. Further, for larger firms, a staggered or gradual return of staff makes it easier to manage the return to the office of work equipment (including borrowed office chairs), documents and IT equipment.
Most firms we have spoken with have put in protocols for physical distancing and hygiene. Specifically, they have determined how many people at any one time can be in a work area, meeting room or in a common areas like kitchens, photocopy rooms or a lift. Signage and floor markings in some cases are being posted throughout the offices to remind people about physical distancing. Firms have also been introducing increased hygiene protocols and standards for staff and increased cleaning in public and common areas throughout their premises. A brief orientation training for returning to the office is being provided by some firms to ensure staff understand and agree to the new procedures and standards.
A number of firms have recommended that staff use digital communications as much as possible, even if they have returned into the office, and also to avoid or even prohibit unnecessary movement around and between floors. With regard to client meetings, virtual meetings where possible are the preference of most firms, although where clients need to attend the office, firms have required that clients agree to hygiene protocols and confirm that they have not been in contact with individuals who have tested positive to COVID-19 and that they, themselves, are healthy.
Most firms are advising staff that are returning to work to do so using their normal means of transport. Complimentary car parking for staff seems to have ended for most firms I spoke with. Many organisations are keeping a record of who is in the office each day, allowing them to track and trace should there be a need.
Universally, firms have indicated that staff should continue to work from home where they are vulnerable from a health perspective or caring for those that are vulnerable and anticipate this approach continuing for several more months. One particular firm is keeping a cohort of staff of about 25% working from home for the next few months as a precautionary measure to ensure that there is a group who is ‘quarantined’ out of the office should there be any infections in the office.
Post-COVID-19
A number of firms have indicated that the working from home regime has been largely effective and has not disrupted work productivity. Consequently, a number of firms are already looking to the future regarding technology needs and space requirements on the understanding that there is a potential to continue post the pandemic with a larger number of staff than pre-pandemic working from home on either on a permanent, semi-permanent or rotational basis.
The learnings so far
· In a number of firms staff have requested to return to work — these should be accommodated where possible.
· Keeping records of daily attendance will ensure that physical distancing occupancy numbers for the size of your premises have not been breached, and that tracing and tracking is possible if needed.
· Keeping some staff working from home for the time being will ease pressure on common areas in the office where physical distancing is hard to manage.
· Staggering and rotating staff between home and office is an effective transition approach before moving to a full return to office for all staff. This helps staff ease back into the new routine of attending the office each day and makes life easier for facilities and IT teams.
· Developing guidelines and signage regarding hygiene standards and capacity limits in all areas will assist staff, clients and visitors to your premises.
· Training and education sessions about new standards for staff and clients will also help.
· Much of the past several months has been unpredictable. Doing our best to communicate early to staff well planned changes in working arrangements provides a degree of control and predictableness which is helpful in allowing people to prepare for change — a key factor in building resilience.
