Back to Work: 10 Solutions That Empower Companies As They Reopen

Kelly^® releases Redefining Work playbook to help businesses succeed during COVID-19

TROY, Mich., June 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global health crisis has forced companies of all sizes to re-examine how they operate, innovate and compete. With some states lifting COVID-19 restrictions while others are pausing their reopening plans, employers face difficult questions on when to open back up, how to protect employees as they return to work, and how to manage their workforce efficiently.

To assist companies, Kelly, a global provider of workforce solutions, has released a Redefining Work playbook. From innovative office space planning to flexible workforce scheduling and remote talent engagement, the playbook offers practical solutions to prepare companies as they navigate the challenges of the "new" workplace.

“Whether you’ve been in business for a short time or for generations, whether you have thousands of workers or just a few, we’re all back at the starting line,” says Debra Thorpe, president of Kelly Professional & Industrial. “Now, every business is a new business, and companies that make smart choices today will thrive in the future.”

Despite U.S. unemployment at 13.3%, many businesses find it difficult returning employees to work and attracting new talent, as workers say they are worried about COVID-19 exposure. Meanwhile, the pandemic has accelerated the need for companies to enhance technologies, safety protocols and recruiting processes.

Kelly is working with thousands of companies to meet these challenges.  It has identified and offers these 10 solutions to empower businesses as they reopen:

1. Implement Safety Tools: temperature screeners, contact tracers and no-touch time clocks help prevent and control the spread of COVID-19.
    
2. Re-think the Workspace: reconfiguring offices and manufacturing lines helps meet required social distancing guidelines.
    
3. Adjust Work Shifts: staggering office staff schedules and adding shifts allows for ample cleaning times while maintaining productivity.
    
4. On- & Off-board Employees Online: interviews, orientations and other HR functions can be managed remotely, reducing risks for everyone involved.
    
5. Engage Your At Home Employees: remote mentoring and performance evaluation processes help employees who work from home stay engaged and motivated.
    
6. Offer Up-/Re-skilling Opportunities: the pandemic has forced many businesses to acquire new skillsets, and talent is scarce; determine if/how to retrain your employees.
    
7. Connect with Furloughed Employees: create an online community for furloughed and even laid-off employees to increase the likelihood they return once business does.
    
8. Evaluate Your Talent Pipeline: the competition for talent is fierce; this is the time to evaluate how robust your talent supply chain is and what adjustments are needed.
    
9. Implement a Human Cloud Solution: there are more than 1,800 online talent platforms; aggregator tools can help you find niche talent you never thought you needed.
    
10. Plan for the Next Unknown: work with a consultant to evaluate and enhance your organization’s ability to respond to the next crisis quickly and effectively.

“COVID-19 has had such profound effects on the global economy, even the most visionary business leaders weren’t prepared,” Thorpe says. “The good news is that most businesses can get through it.”

Kelly has helped businesses manage the global pandemic for months. The company has placed thousands of trained temperature checkers, provided multi-lingual contract tracers, and installed no-touch time clocks with clients. Kelly has also consulted on space planning and provided remote work solutions.

One Kelly client, a large food and drug retailer, recognized the need to hire health screeners for all its grocery stores as early as March. Within two weeks, health screeners were hired and onboarded by local Kelly teams. By April 2 the first screeners were in place, and today 450 Kelly temporary employees support 27 locations across the country.

Another large global manufacturing client restarted operations in one of its bigger U.S. locations. After Kelly developed a plan to engage the temporary employees during the furlough, 97% of them showed up for work on the first day back, while less than half of their full-time workforce walked through the doors.

Kelly experts are available to discuss effective return to work solutions with reporters in more detail. Additional resources:

• Download a list of Kelly’s Top 10 Reopening Tips here.
• Kelly’s full Redefining Work playbook can be downloaded here.
• Download video of Deb Thorpe discussing effective return to work strategies here.

About Kelly^®
Kelly connects talented people to companies in need of their skills in areas including Science, Engineering, Education, Office, Contact Center, Light Industrial, and more. We’re always thinking about what’s next in the evolving world of work, and we help people ditch the script on old ways of thinking and embrace the value of all workstyles in the workplace. We directly employ nearly 440,000 people around the world, and we connect thousands more with work through our global network of talent suppliers and partners in our outsourcing and consulting practice. Visit kellyservices.com and let us help with what’s next for you.