Work from home or office? Firms think of new policies

dubai — Comeback policies are gaining urgency among HR teams in Dubai as employees may gradually return to offices after Eid.

HR managers are busy working on plans that put in place adequate measures to protect employees from contracting Covid-19 once they return to work.

This comes after Dubai recently issued a new list of guidelines for offices to have in place after the holy month of Ramadan. In a circular, Dubai Economy said that all the previously announced protocols that were announced as part of the stage 1 economic activities will be maintained.

Aws Ismail, general manager of Marc Ellis, UAE, said: “Employees would be expected to adhere to company guidelines once things open up. Many people who have not witnessed redundancies or pay cuts may pose resistance, stating why are they being called in if they can be perfectly productive while working from home. However, employees who are looking to cement their position as times are uncertain may not pose any questions.”

It’s always better to clearly communicate the dos and don’ts to all employees returning to work. We know that it’ll take time for a vaccine to arrive.”

Jaya Bhatia HR advisor

Backend employees can continue work from home

Talking about the implementation of “return to work” protocols, HR managers think that people in backend jobs can continue to function from home.

HR head of an investment company in the UAE said: “We are working out flexible plans but it really depends on the nature of the job. People who are in customer facing roles or in engineering type of roles, whose jobs are hinged on providing services to clients, can be more in office on a rotation basis. Others in support services can work remotely.”

Jaya Bhatia, HR advisor and founder of HRHubGlobal.com, said: “It’s always better to clearly communicate the dos and don’ts to all employees returning to work. We know that it’ll take time for a vaccine to arrive. So, when it comes to HR, we are responsible for our staff members and need to maintain safety at workplace.”