ENTRANCE

PUBLISHER

Shawn Conrad, CAE conrad@parking-mobility.org

EDITOR

Kim Fernandez, CAE fernandez@parking-mobility.org

TECHNICAL EDITOR

Rachel Yoka, CAPP, LEED AP BD+C, yoka@parking-mobility.org

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Bill Smith, APR bsmith@smith-phillips.com

ADVERTISING SALES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

Tina Altman taltman@parking-mobility.org

PUBLICATION DESIGN BonoTom Studio info@bonotom.com

For subscription changes, contact Tina Altman, taltman@parking-mobility.org or 888.IPMI.NOW. Parking & Mobility (ISSN 0896-2324 & USPS 001436) is published monthly by the International Parking & Mobility Institute. P.O. Box 3787 Fredericksburg, VA 22402 Phone: 888.IPMI.NOW Fax: 703.566.2267 Email: info@parking-mobility.org Website: parking-mobility.org Postmaster note: Send address label changes promptly to: Parking & Mobility P.O. Box 3787 Fredericksburg, VA 22402 Interactive electronic version of Parking & Mobility for members and subscribers only at parking-mobility. org/magazine. Periodical postage paid at Alexandria, Va., and additional mailing offices. Copyright © International Parking & Mobility Institute, 2020. Statements of fact and opinion expressed in articles contained if Parking & Mobility are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent an official expression of policy or opinion on the part of officers or the members of IPMI. Manuscripts, correspondence, articles, product releases, and all contributed materials are welcomed by Parking & Mobility; however, publication is subject to editing, if deemed necessary to conform to standards of publication. The subscription rate is included in IPMI annual dues. Subscription rate for non-members of IPMI is $120 per year (U.S. currency) in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. All other countries, $150. Back issues, $10. Parking & Mobility is printed on 10 percent recycled paper and on paper from trees grown specifically for that purpose.

/ENTRANCE Strategizing Return to Work

By Allen Corry, CAPP

AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR of suffering through a pandemic and working virtually, the DFW International Airport Parking & Transportation Business Unit returned to the workplace. A major question we needed to answer was how do we maintain employee engagement during this transition from working virtually and remotely back to the physical workplace?

One of the most dramatic impacts of the pandemic was the stress placed on all employees. Many had to quickly adapt to a new working situation while sharing their workspaces at home. Some found maintaining engagement with the workplace difficult. Some had issues separating home life from work life.

Our personnel would be anxious when directed to relocate back to the workplace, and the best way to get people back to work in the most productive way is to create an environment where they feel safe and have a voice. People worried about returning to a germ-filled office, and they loved working virtually.

After further consideration by our task force, we decided to continue a hybrid work option through the beginning of 2022, primarily due to the surge of COVID-19 (Delta) cases. This allowed employees whose work could be accomplished virtually to blend work locations between the office and remotely up to two days per week. This provided flexibility while creating a safer work environment, including opportunities for increased social distancing.

Departments were given hybrid options: staggering weeks or days where certain employees work from home, and bringing some people back to the office while others moved to working from home permanently. Department heads were responsible for ensuring appropriate coverage at all times. It was important that we continue to engage in-person with one another to build our culture of collaboration, inclusion, and innovation.

We are an airport operation—65 percent of our employees work on-site. Finding the right balance and equity for all employees is critically important. We kept constant communication with employees before formulating the plan to return to the workplace and informed them of details more than a month before reopening; we also guaranteed measures to provide a safe environment, such as modified workspaces, hand washing, face coverings, and social distancing.

A survey found some employee concerns: 1. A potential increase in COVID-19 cases. 2.Whether all employees could be accommodated safely if present at the same time. 3.Whether shared workspaces could become separated workstations.

Our leadership needed to be transparent about plans and expectations. We conveyed new guidelines and safety protocols to ensure a safe and smooth transition back to the workplace. It was critical to prepare the employees for re-entry.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving. ◆

ALLEN CORRY, CAPP, is assistant vice president, Parking/ Transportation Business Unit, DFW International Airport, and a member of IPMI’s Board of Directors. He can be reached at acorry@ dfwairport.com.