“Good staff
engagement was
paramount to
ensure that they
were happy and on
board with the
return.”
37
Back to Work
floor markings.”
The decision to re-open was
driven by the business’s desire to
return to the office. “A good
proportion of our staff are young,
single and living in shared
accommodation and so they were
keen to return to a creative and
professional working environment,”
comments Su Millar, building
services director for Havas Group.
“Many of our less experienced staff
learn by watching their peers and
managers, so it’s pretty impossible
to learn these softer skills via MS
Teams. We also have a duty of care
to protect not only the ergonomics
of their working environment but
the mental health of our teams.”
“We worked with Sam Wilson of
Syntiro Associates to create a
comprehensive and robust risk
assessment that informed our way
of working,” adds Nettleton. “Her
expert knowledge, thorough
attention to detail and what must
be days of research into the various
government publications was
invaluable.”
It was important for Havas to
consult with staff and set up
training on the new procedures
and the new way of getting around
the offices. The adoption of a ‘clean
before and clean after’ culture
compelled all employees to have a
sense of accountability for their
own actions and safety. “Good
staff engagement was paramount
to ensure that they were happy and
on board with the return,”
continues Millar. “We asked one of
our agencies, the Conran Design
Group, to create our own ‘Return to
HKX’ branding that was rolled out
through signage, posters and we
created our own ‘Returning to HKX’
staff handbook.”
The handbook was distributed
via the Havas University interactive
learning platform, who confirmed
that staff wishing to return had
read the handbook by asking five
random questions to assess their
understanding. The branding is
clear and powerful, but humorous.
“Health and safety advice can be
dry at the best of times,”
comments Millar, “but we are a
creative company full of
wonderfully creative people, so the
branding and handbook is
entertaining and fun with lots of
tongue in cheek comments to
make the whole process engaging
and memorable.”
At the moment Havas has around
10% of the workforce back in the
office, and every day is getting
busier. Millar explains: “The
majority of Havas staff have not
returned yet, but this is mainly due
to public transport or child care
availability. The people who have
returned to the building are loving
it, the numbers are going up every
day and people are happily
returning again and again, which is
a positive sign.”
Wilson concludes: “Agencies are
the creators, they are agents of
change and they have an amazing
opportunity to really embrace this
as a catalyst to make real,
sustainable changes in the way
that they work and their impact on
society and the world.”
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