THE nosticwall NEW NORMAL – RETURN TO OFFICE AND TRAVEL PLANS AND POLICIES
nosticwall Team,
With June on the horizon, we will be taking our first steps towards returning to our offices and beginning limited, essential travel in the coming weeks. We have developed a phased approach
for returning to our offices and traveling, and those plans are detailed in the attached slides. We encourage each of you to carefully review the slides to better understand our plans, but we trust that the following will provide a higher-level overview of
what to expect.
Two Key Principles Underlying Our Plans
- Employee Safety. The safety of our employees
was the primary consideration as we developed our plans for returning to offices and travel. We will always watch local guidance, but we will also be taking a “wait and see” approach where we are watching actual outcomes of re-openings rather than rushing
back before we are comfortable with how things are really going. In addition, we know that some of our employees will not be in a position to return to group settings for some time, so we will provide flexibility and caution as we work through our plans.
- Embracing the New Business Normal. Like many
of our peers, partners and customers, we know that remote work virtual meetings and digital events and can be extremely effective. We should all take some lessons from this unique time as we move forward and think about where a flight can be replaced with
a virtual meeting and where things can be done virtually rather than physically. Rethinking how we approach the new business normal can be more effective and safer.
Return to Offices
- Timing of Office Re-Openings – We will be
re-opening our offices in phases, with the earliest openings starting on June 15, with the target date for each office depending on local conditions and rules varying from
June through August. Larger offices of 50+ will open in four phases, while smaller offices will open in two phases. In all circumstances, team members in higher-risk medical categories will return to the office in the final phase only if they have
received medical advice that it is safe to do so and if they are comfortable returning under the circumstances. The exact timing and details of the phased approaches are in the attached slides. You will be contacted directly by HR and/or your manager regarding
the timing of your invitation to return.
- Coming to An Office – You should not return
to an office or continue to come into an office after your return for the specified period of time after being diagnosed with, showing symptoms of or having been in contact with a symptomatic or diagnosed person with COVID-19. You also should not come into
an office for a specified period of time after returning from international travel or travel to high-risk areas/hotspots. Details are in the attached slides.
- Taking Precautions – We want each of you,
your families and your co-workers to remain as safe as possible. Our best chance of maintaining safety for everyone is to use precautions in the office. We strongly encourage each of you to bring a reusable mask and any other PPE you desire to use. We will
have hand sanitizer in place, signs posted and will be taking measures to avoid large groups and keep distances, and we will ensure that facilities are thoroughly cleaned each day. We will have some PPE supplies available as a backup for employees who forget
their own or do not have access to supplies.
- Outside Meetings – We are strongly encouraging
each of you to avoid outside meetings unless they are absolutely necessary and cannot be avoided. If you must attend a meeting, check to ensure that precautions are being taken by the host and do not attend if you are not comfortable that adequate measures
will be in place.
Return to Travel
- Timing of Changes to Travel Restrictions –
the travel restrictions we announced in March will remain in place for the foreseeable future. However, we will begin allowing travel on an exceptional basis for some domestic travel beginning in
mid to late June. Our phased approach will continue into October, and we do not expect to resume normal travel policies until late this year at the earliest. Detailed timing information is in the attached slides.
- Phased Approach to Travel – Changes to our
travel policy restrictions will take place in four phases. During the first phase, we will allow limited domestic travel for unavoidable, revenue-related meetings, but with L2 approval. In the second phase we will allow other domestic travel with L3 approval.
International travel to approved locations will begin in the third phase with L2 approval in September or October and the final phase will be either late this year or at a later date which will be announced.
- Travel Precautions – Precautions should be
taken when using any form of mass or public transportation, including use of masks, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Avoid large groups of people and congested areas. Always check with your travel provider to know what precautions are in place in advance
of travel and be sure that any location you are traveling to is safe.
- Find Alternatives Where Possible – You should
only think of travel as an alternative to using technology for a meeting or event. Before you seek approval for travel, please explore alternatives, and only request travel approval if there is an urgent business need related to making, selling or supporting
our products.
Questions or Concerns
If you have concerns about returning to an office or travel, please contact your manager or HR. You should communicate directly with HR for any confidential or sensitive medical or other concerns.
North America HR [Sarah Chapman –
http://www.nosticwall.com/~schapman]
Rest of World HR [Bryce Ashcraft –
http://www.nosticwall.com/~bashcraft]
Global Travel and Expense [Kelli Hawkins –
http://www.nosticwall.com/~khawkins]
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