Standardizing Remote Work & Return to Office (RTO) Strategy – Case Study – Lincoln Electric
Standardizing a remote work strategy & planning for a return to the office: a case study on manufacturing workplaces
Lincoln Electric’s return to office (RTO) strategy welcomes employees back to a renovated HQ while its standardized remote program ushers in a new era of flexibility
Like many companies prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lincoln Electric did not believe that the organization could support remote working due to the nature of its business. The company firmly believes in promoting employee well-being and has taken significant steps to transform the employee work experience. Lincoln Electric recently renovated the work environment in its headquarters office. Further, it implemented a Remote Work Program for eligible employees. Embracing remote work options has allowed Lincoln Electric to promote a more flexible workplace strategy and inspire employees by reaffirming the corporate culture of equality for all.
Lincoln Electric is a global leader in the welding industry. For more than a century, the company has innovated and delivered quality products and customer service. A Fortune 1000 company headquartered near Cleveland, Ohio, Lincoln Electric also has 42 manufacturing locations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.
Lincoln Electric’s new Remote Work Program will enable the company to hire employees from anywhere in the U.S. and provide existing eligible employees the opportunity to permanently work remotely. Given the nature of Lincoln Electric’s products and services, not all employees are eligible for the Remote Work Program. Some workers will transition back to the physical office. The newly renovated and redesigned Lincoln Electric headquarters office awaits employees with a more dynamic work environment that incorporates key concepts of wellness, workstyle flexibility, and enhanced technology.
This is an exciting time to be a Lincoln Electric employee – whether working remotely or in the headquarters office. Lincoln Electric turned to Stegmeier Consulting Group (SCG) to understand best practices for workplace change management and help the workforce transition to new ways of working – both remotely and in the renovated headquarters office.
Standardizing Remote Work Guidelines
A large portion of the Lincoln Electric team had already been working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the company wanted to formalize a sanctioned Remote Work Program. Culturally, the company strives to provide employees with flexibility, trust, and empowerment. The standardization of its Remote Work Program serves as an outward expression of those cultural beliefs.
Working with SCG, Lincoln Electric developed a thoughtfully-designed Remote Work Program that accounts for enhanced productivity, employee engagement, and morale. The Remote Work Program focuses on outcomes and helping employees make the time count – instead of simply counting time.
The Remote Work Program components include eligibility requirements, expectations, an employee/manager agreement, and a remote work IT equipment list. These comprehensive guidelines help employees and managers prepare for and fulfill remote work functions.
Development of Remote Work Program and Accompanying Agreement for Employees
The intricacies of standardizing and implementing a Remote Work Program can be challenging for many companies. SCG helped Lincoln Electric overcome this dilemma by facilitating the formulation of:
- Remote Worker Eligibility Requirements
- Remote Employee Profiling
- Remote Work Agreement
- Remote Work Equipment List
- Remote Workspace Assessment
These guidelines helped streamline what work can and cannot be done remotely, as well as which types of employee roles are eligible for remote work.
SCG customized the Remote Work Program for Lincoln Electric employees and managers, making the implementation of remote work practices easier, more manageable, and more efficient. SCG developed a Remote Work Program and Agreement that formalizes all of these guidelines and considerations to establish an efficient remote working team seamlessly.
Production of Manager’s Toolkit for Remote Work and Return to Office
Along with preparing employees to work optimally – remotely or in the redesigned headquarters – SCG also provided managers with training and best practices for helping employees manage these workstyle transitions.
Managers are key players in Lincoln Electric’s success in these endeavors. SCG created a toolkit for managers that guides how leaders can support their employees and serve as role models before, during, and after the transition.
With SCG’s training, managers can now decide the best work strategy for their department and where that work can be most efficiently and effectively conducted – remotely or onsite.
Introducing a New Work Environment
While Lincoln Electric opened its doors to remote work, the company also renovated a large section of its headquarters. Therefore, Lincoln Electric would not only be welcoming many of the non-full-time remote employees back after months of remote work but also welcoming them into a redesigned office with a new work environment and different types of activity-based workspaces.
These activity-based workspaces allow employees to choose the most appropriate setting for their designated work tasks. It provides for individual focus work and collaborative meetings with colleagues – and everything in between. The work environment also offers larger open spaces, more natural light, and acoustical enhancements to minimize noise disruptions.
With such an exciting, drastic change to the redesigned headquarters, Lincoln Electric turned to SCG to help employees understand new ways of working and best practices in taking advantage of the numerous new workspaces.
While many employees viewed the new work environment with excitement, some were hesitant about working in a more open environment.
SCG developed “A Day in the Life” training to help employees understand how to work in the new work environment and maximize productivity and comfort. SCG also created a “Welcome to Your Workplace” guide, which dives deeper into the functions of each workspace setting, outlines workplace protocols, and describes updated office technology.
Helping Employees Understand the New Work Environment Through “A Day in the Life” Training
SCG facilitated multiple iterations of “Day in the Life” training to showcase the new work environment and prepare Lincoln Electric employees on what to expect with the new work styles – both remote and in the new office. The training provided scenarios that helped employees visualize how to utilize these workspaces, even before stepping foot into the building.
The SCG team also worked closely with the key players of the company to identify the pertinent topics and methods that should be included in the training, tackling not just the changes but also the best ways to reinforce the company’s culture and goals in the changes that are about to take place.
Developing “Welcome to Your Workplace” Guides
All of these changes can feel a bit overwhelming for employees. SCG developed a “Welcome to Your Workplace” Guide customized for the Lincoln Electric employees. The goal was to help them better utilize their brand new work environment and become more comfortable in selecting which workspace setting is best suited for the task at hand. This guide helps employees understand all of these changes, realize the impact on their wellness, and support a variety of working styles.
The new work environment for Lincoln Electric’s headquarters office includes a variety of activity-based workspaces. It ranges from focus rooms for privacy needs to larger meeting spaces to encourage collaboration and innovation. The technology required to support the new ways of working – in the office and remotely – was also included in the workplace guide. With it, employees can immediately understand the new variety of technology tools at their disposal.
SCG’s Approach to Workplace Change Management
Stegmeier Consulting Group has deep experience in providing the proper approach and tools to help clients achieve a smoother transition to workplace changes. These initiatives often require extensive planning due to the many moving parts and affected stakeholders. Partnering with an experienced thought-leader in this space allows your organization to achieve positive outcomes in its endeavor to provide more flexibility for its employees.
Changes in a workplace or workplace strategy can cause employees to feel a level of excitement; but also hesitation. Is your organization planning new changes to the work environment or interested in implementing a remote work strategy? SCG can guide you through this process to ensure positive outcomes and employee acceptance of workplace changes. Please get in touch with us by completing the form below.
