Dear LifeLong Staff,
In March 2020, the declaration of the COVID-19 global pandemic necessitated a rapid transition to fully remote work for many employees. As COVID-19 has slowly evolved from a crisis to something approaching a new normal, one of the biggest global changes has been a greater acceptance of hybrid work environments. To transition to a long-term policy allowing for a hybrid work environment, and to make more efficient use of our office spaces, LifeLong has revised its Telecommuting Protocol (initially published in November 2020). The changes are summarized as follows:
- Employees entering into a Telecommuting Agreement with fewer than 4 days per week in the office will be required to forfeit sole use of a personal office or workstation in favor of a shared arrangement to maximize LifeLong’s office space needs.
- Spaces currently assigned to employees who will not be onsite at least 4 days a week will be shared and able to be reserved by others. This ensures a more flexible and efficient use of space.
- Supervisors will work with their teams to balance patient service and business needs with employee preferences in determining the appropriate balance of remote work.
- A web-based booking platform called “OfficeSpace” will be used to manage workspace reservations, and impacted employees will be trained on how to use it before it goes live.
The OfficeSpace platform will initially be implemented at the following LifeLong locations:
- 6th Street Administration Offices
- 7th Street Offices (not including the Call Center)
- 2730 Adeline Offices
- Herrick Offices
Implementation will begin at 6th Street and 7th Street in October 2022, and Adeline and Herrick will follow about a month later. Supervisors at these sites will speak with employees about how this change will be implemented, as it might differ among sites and departments.
Formal, flexible telecommuting policies help ensure the most effective hybrid work experience, and LifeLong’s updated “Telecommuting Policy” including this change in office space use is housed on HR’s SharePoint page. LifeLong will continue to review policies related to telecommuting to ensure that they are aligned and updated if necessary.
We know this is a significant change, and the Facilities Dept. is committed to ensuring it unfolds as smoothly as possible.
Respectfully,
D.L. Poole,
Chief Operating Officer