Marcia's Leadership Q and As: How can we ensure a healthy culture as workers return to the office?

Q. As people come back to the office, how can we develop a healthy culture?

A. The more your employees engage with your company — via its recruiting, hiring and onboarding processes — your teams and your customers, the healthier your culture can be. As workers return — whether it be one day a month, one day a week, or even full-time — you and the management team should make a point to meet with them on a regular basis to discuss how thing are going and allow them to ask questions or voice their concerns. 

Town hall-style meetings can be an effective way to have these interactions with employees, as long as your leadership team offers them clear messages. But you and your management can also meet with employees in smaller groups, giving them a chance to share their ideas, brainstorm, discuss issues, bring up possible solutions and suggest opportunities that may be worth pursuing. People need to feel heard and to feel like they're having an impact.

The most important thing is for your top management and team leaders to come up with a plan. Prioritize and focus on quick wins that will make a difference to those you are serving. Then implement the tougher solutions that are consistent with your organization's aims.