Firms prepare for phased office returns

Staff at international disputes firm Hausfeld have been told they can work from home until at least the end of the year. This announcement comes after the practice acknowledged that many employees are not willing to commute into the office via public transport until there is a covid-19 vaccine. 

Hausfeld’s City office will open when it is safe to do so but staff can choose when they come in and pick the hours in which they work or travel.

The London managing partner and vice-chair Anthony Maton said: “As the last 10 weeks confirm, we have continued to work efficiently at pre-covid-19 levels. We didn’t have to furlough staff and have continued to welcome new joiners to the team during that time and in the next few weeks. 

“It was clear there was a worry, so it was important to remove that cause for anxiety and show our trust in the Hausfeld staff to continue to deliver as brilliantly as they have during the last 2.5 months.”

There was an almost equal split between staff wanting to return to the office as soon as it was safe to do so and those concerned about the health implications, a survey of Hausfeld London Staff revealed.

A third revealed they want to return to the office full time, a third would prefer to return part time or when required, while another third want to remain working remotely as they are concerned about using public transport or expressed problems with childcare.

Maton added: “Now that our clients have seen us in our home with sleeves rolled up, will wearing suits and meeting in a swish conference room still matter? The ability and willingness to work remote will impact the need for office space.”

Meanwhile, Norton Rose Fulbright has set out plans to ensure all staff are provided with face masks and temperature testing is implemented as it prepares for a “gradual and phased” return to the office.

According to the Law Gazette, strict social distancing measures will be imposed to allow staff to safely return to work, including restricting the number of people in each office building; limiting the number of people gathering in kitchens, breakrooms, meetings rooms, bathrooms and on open plan floors; increased hand sanitiser stations; routine deep cleaning; temperature testing; and providing face masks to wear in open plan areas.

Two thirds of the firm’s staff are cautious about returning to the office, a firm-wide survey has revealed, while only 6% of the firm’s employees in Asia and Germany have reported such feelings.

A spokesperson said: “We will only reintroduce office working when safe to do so and in line with government recommendations which will vary by jurisdiction and when our people are comfortable with doing this.”

Of all Norton Rose Fulbright employees, 80% said they enjoy working from home and that levels of productivity have been unaffected. More than 50% revealed that they would like to work remotely some of the time in future, while a third said they would prefer to work from home most of the time.

“We recognise the importance of ensuring that people working from home enjoy the same experiences and benefits they would get from working in an office environment; that home office arrangements will need to be upgraded; and that any new arrangement must work from the perspective of our clients and our business. The current period has demonstrated that this is more than possible in practice and we will be exploring this further over the next few weeks and months,” a spokesperson said. 

Recent government guidance states that employees should return to work if they are unable to work from home, but public transport should be avoided where possible. The government also published guidance on how employers can ensure social distancing is implemented in offices.