Michel Falcon and Shane Skillen surveyed 1,350 employees to better understand how they are feeling during COVID-19, what their expectations are and what matters them the most returning to their workplace. These sentiments have been collected and packaged into a playbook with recommended best practices. Organizations can leverage this document to help design their relaunch efforts to maximize productivity, influence employee engagement and rebuild their company culture.

1. Navigating a World
of Work
STRONG SENTIMENTS FROM 1,350 EMPLOYEES AND THEIR
EXPECTATIONS FROM THEIR COMPANY AND LEADER

2. TABLE OF
CONTENTS
ABOUT THE PLAYBOOK ..................................................................... 3
INTRODUCTION TO FINDINGS AND BEST PRACTICES …………... 4
12 KEY DISCOVERIES …………………………………………………… 5
1) What is your current job status due to covid-19? ………..... 5
2) If you are no longer working, what are your plans for
when the economy reopens again? ……………………………. 5
3) If you are unemployed or are underemployed, how
much do you want to go back to work?.…..…………………… 7
4) What are you enjoying about being out of work? ………...... 7
5) Top 3 answers to “what are you not liking about
being out of work?” ………………………………………………. 8
6) If you return to your former employer, what do you
expect to earn? …………………………………………………… 8
7) If returning to your former employer, what are
your schedule expectations? ……………………………………. 9
8) [For sales professionals only] after the covid-19
crisis, would you accept a lower base salary
and higher commission? ………………………………………. 10
9) What are you expecting in the first 30 days
of employment when you go back to work? …………………. 11
10) When you return to work, what do you expect your
leader to communicate to you during the first all-hands
meeting or town hall? ………………………………………….. 12
11) Would you report your employer to the authorities
if there was inadequate social distancing and
other regulations? ……………………………………………… 14
12) How has the importance of these things changed
for you pre/post Covid-19? ……………………………………. 15
CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………….... 16
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON

3. ABOUT THE PLAYBOOK
We set out to create a playbook for organizations in North America to help them reopen their business,
influence employee engagement, rebuild their company culture and achieve maximum productivity. In this
study, we surveyed 1,350 employees in customer service, sales and marketing departments of small,
medium and large-sized organizations across dozens of industries. The data only experienced a 2.67%
margin of error 19 times out of 20.
SHANE SKILLEN
Shane Skillen is the CEO of Hotspex, a
market research company working with 15 of
the top 20 global advertisers. With offices in
Toronto, New York and London, his firm
uses technology and behavioral science to
drive insights for their clients.
@SHANESKILLEN
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON
MICHEL FALCON
Michel Falcon is an entrepreneur, company
culture, employee engagement and
customer experience expert, author and
keynote speaker. He has been hired by
brands such as McDonald’s Canada, Verizon
Wireless, Electronic Arts, Alfa Romeo and
other globally recognized brands.
@MICHELFALCON

4. INTRODUCTION TO
FINDINGS AND
BEST PRACTICES
HELPING LEADERS UNDERSTAND HOW TO RELAUNCH THEIR
WORKPLACE STRATEGIES.
As an employer, you’ll need to depend on your employees more than ever before to relaunch your company
successfully.
After being declared a pandemic, Covid-19 left employees feeling uncertain and worried. But it also left them with a hint
of hope and excitement that they’d be back in the workforce soon enough.
As time passed, questions began to percolate.
Would employees return to their former employers? What would be the new expectations of their role, salary and
schedule? Would employees report the company to authorities if government-imposed regulations were not abided by?
What do they want to hear from their leadership team upon returning to the office?
These are some of the questions we set out to find answers to. Every company wants to successfully welcome back their
team members, rebuild their company culture, achieve productivity and increase the likelihood of a strong reopening.
This playbook will help you in these efforts.
Along with data-backed research, we are providing you with a list of best practices to help your company overcome any
challenges that it may face. We suggest following the action items listed below to attain great results:
• Share this report with your management team and discuss each finding.
• Create a “task force” team made up of a few key individuals within your company/department who can answer
important questions such as, who will do what and by when?
• Start considering your reopening plans immediately.
• Use different reopening models based on your industry’s government guidelines.
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON

5. When asked how they selected their responses, we heard the following statements:
• This country will never be the same after this pandemic. My particular line of work is and will be forever changed
and potentially unnecessary.”
• “Because the owner of my company promised to keep me.”
• “I don’t believe the company will survive this.”
Find affordable learning resources on different topics to fulfill your employees’ learning desires. Look into
the affordability of subscriptions to digital learning platforms, such as LinkedIn Learning or Masterclass.com.
To get a better sense of which employees will return back to your company, send out an anonymous survey
to your workforce to gauge their desire to return. This will give you a broad overview to analyze.
Furthermore, leverage your management team and peers to have one-on-one conversations with team
members within their departments. After conducting both practices, you will have a very good understanding
of how to proceed with labour and workforce management forecasting.
12 KEY DISCOVERIES
WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT JOB STATUS DUE TO COVID-19?
Of the 1,350 respondents, 43.3% had lost their job, experienced reduced hours and pay or were fearful that they
would lose their jobs imminently. An interesting finding was that 8.9% of those surveyed were actually working more
than they were prior to the pandemic.
IF YOU ARE NO LONGER WORKING, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
FOR WHEN THE ECONOMY REOPENS AGAIN?
BEST PRACTICES
48.1% WILL
RETURN TO
THEIR FORMER
EMPLOYER
38.1% FIND A
NEW EMPLOYER
17.1% GO BACK
TO SCHOOL
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON

6. Healthcare: The heroism and job stability displayed during this pandemic is a motivating factor for younger
professionals who want to pursue a career in healthcare.
IT: Respondents feel that advancing technologies and an increase in a digital-first world will provide higher pay and
job stability.
Education: Respondents recognize that there is a shift happening in education. The way it is being delivered through
this pandemic makes people question the viability of charging students premium pricing and whether this new model
will provide a stable career. This is also supported by Scott Galloway, a professor of marketing at the New York
University Stern School of Business.
Restaurants, bars, food services: The uncertainty of how dining, stadium and event restrictions will impact the guest
experience and income potential has raised big concerns for employees in these industries.
Retail: Employees in these industries are concerned that mall and retail closures will happen. As a society, we are
now more inclined to purchase things online and this is being recognized by frontline employees.
Our playbook strongly recommends that you survey your current and furloughed team members immediately
to better understand their sentiment towards their industry. Your current team members will likely come back
to help support their livelihood, but what type of employee morale and engagement are they returning with?
Once you’ve gathered this employee intelligence, critical decisions need to be made. How do you rebuild your
team in order to maximize productivity to serve your clients, customers and guests?
BEST PRACTICES
IT
+16%
EDUCATION
-27%
RESTAURANTS, BARS,
FOOD SERVICES
-35%
RETAIL
-89%
INDUSTRY SENTIMENT
We asked all respondents to share which industry they are currently in and which one they aspire to join as they
advance in their careers.
Based on our findings, we anticipate that healthcare, IT, education, hospitality and retail will be the most affected.
HEALTHCARE
+8%

7. To experience a strong resurgence in your company and maximize operations, you need to establish a
sense of stability. Employee morale and engagement are the leading factors to finding success.
You cannot reopen your business with team members who are unsure of whether they even want to remain
with your company or in a particular industry.
Our recommended approach is to re-interview every employee within your company and department. This
will help you understand the sentiment your team members have towards your company, industry and their
role within the organization.
Some interview questions to consider asking your returning or new employees include:
• Why have you chosen this industry?
• Do you see yourself building a career within this industry?
• Are there other industries that are attractive to you? If so, which ones?
• What are you most excited about in working here for the next 12 months?
Based on your findings, ensure that you are creating a team made up of individuals who want to return for
the right reasons. Reasons other than a temporary income.
When asked how they selected their responses, we heard the following statements:
• “I need an income.”
• “I recently graduated and want to use my degree.”
• “I’m bored.”
IF YOU ARE UNEMPLOYED OR ARE UNDEREMPLOYED, HOW
MUCH DO YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO WORK?
Respondents were encouraged to select multiple topics. Some of the most notable responses included:
• More sleep.
• More time with family.
• More time to exercise.
• Less stress.
“Very much want to get back to work or work more”
BEST PRACTICES
WHAT ARE YOU ENJOYING ABOUT BEING OUT OF WORK?
60.1%
19.9% "Somewhat"
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON

8. We believe that employees will return to their workplace with a higher priority on work-life balance, as well
as both mental and physical health.
Our recommendations include:
• Do an analysis of the viability of developing a flex work and or four-day work week program.
• Provide your team members with access to mental health, wellness and sleep apps like Headspace,
Breath, Calm and The 5-Minute Journal.
• Partner with local gyms and health clinics to provide remote services, which have proven to be popular
during Covid-19. Give your employees and their families access to these programs.
The most popular response for enjoying time away from the office was “the feeling of safety and protection from
Covid-19”. We found this to be interesting as 60.1% of respondents “very much want to get back to work or work
more.”
This concludes that the workforce has grown impatient with stay-at-home measures, reduced income or loss of
income. After months of career disruption due to Covid-19, they expect to start work with accessibility to PPE and
physical distancing efforts.
BEST PRACTICES
TOP 3 ANSWERS TO “WHAT ARE YOU NOT LIKING ABOUT BEING
OUT OF WORK?”
NO MONEY BOREDOM
SPENDING TOO
MUCH TIME
WATCHING
TV/SCREENS
IF YOU RETURN TO YOUR FORMER EMPLOYER, WHAT DO YOU
EXPECT TO EARN?
I expect to earn more
I expect to earn the same
I expect to earn less
39%
23.9%
37.1%
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON

9. Organizations and industries will experience different customer return rates. According to a recent survey
conducted by Deloitte, consumers intend on purchasing from the following categories:
BEST PRACTICES
APPAREL AND FOOTWEAR
-27%
We asked respondents to check all that apply and the top 5 responses we received were:
IF RETURNING TO YOUR FORMER EMPLOYER, WHAT ARE YOUR
SCHEDULE EXPECTATIONS?
SAME PAY SAME SCHEDULESAME HOURS SAME SENIORITY PROVISIONS OF PPE
TO KEEP ME SAFE
ELECTRONICS
-17%
PUBLIC TRANSIT
-60%
EVERYDAY HOUSEHOLD GOODS
+25%
MEDICINES
+11%
This is a sensitive observation and has a connection to your employees’ morale, income and productivity.
The majority of employees expect to return to the same level of pay and working hours they had prior to the
pandemic. Customer return rates may have a deep impact on how their expectations will play out.
As the employer, it is imperative to be transparent with your employees. Share information openly, such as
when you expect customer return rates to increase. Work closely with your team and analyze how your
customers may behave in the weeks and months after restrictions have been lifted for your particular
industry.
Continued on page 10
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON
GROCERIES
+40%

10. We believe the following:
• With proper physical distancing measures in place, hair salons and similar personal service locations will
likely experience an immediate upsurge in customers requesting services.
• The finance and banking industry may also see a spike in retail traffic. Consumers will feel more
comfortable to move about their environments freely and with less fear.
• Industries that may have a slower and consistent return to normalcy, include restaurants, bars and food
services.
Leverage the three use cases below to help you understand how your scheduling and labour costs can be
forecasted.
Use case #1: a V-shape customer return rate is when customers return to normal or higher rates nearly
immediately.
Use case #2: a U-shape customer return rate is when customers return at rates 25% less than pre-Covid-
19.
Use case #3: a L-shape customer return rate is when customers return at rates 26+% less than pre-Covid-
19.
Along with your management team, identify which use case your industry falls into and understand how this
will impact your workforce management requirements, sales forecasts and labour percentages.
REVENUE
PROJECTIONS
LABOR COSTS
FIXED COSTS
V-SHAPED CUSTOMER
RETURN RATE
U-SHAPED CUSTOMER
RETURN RATE
L-SHAPED CUSTOMER
RETURN RATE
[FOR SALES PROFESSIONALS ONLY] AFTER THE COVID-19 CRISIS, WOULD
YOU ACCEPT A POSITION WITH A LOWER BASE SALARY AND A HIGHER
COMMISSION?
“Yes, I would accept that."52%
48% "No, I wouldn’t accept that."
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON
Edit this chart as you see fit for your organization and review this forecast every three months.

11. If your company employs sales professionals and anticipates to return to U-shape or L-shape customer
return rates, explore a compensation package that offers a lower base salary to manage your labour and
wage percentage, and supplement it with a higher commissionable salary.
This new compensation model is optimal for a company that needs to manage its labour costs. It aligns well
with employees who voted “very much want to get back to work or work more”. These employees are
enthusiastic about getting back into the workforce and appear to have a high morale.
BEST PRACTICES
• “To rearrange my office environment.”
• “For management to check-in with me regularly to see how I’m doing in and outside of the workplace.”
• “I want long-term measures to be put in place to provide the necessary precautions against a possible resurgence
of the virus.”
• “Provide PPE.”
• “Physical distancing, daily sanitizing and disinfecting.”
• “I want my employer to focus on onboarding and setting expectations. I want to know what success looks like very
clearly, so I can set myself up for it. Financial security is top of mind and I want peace of mind that my finances
and professional career are stable throughout the pandemic.”
WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING IN THE FIRST 30 DAYS OF
EMPLOYMENT WHEN YOU GO BACK TO WORK?
The results of these verbatim responses resoundingly describe a sentiment that revolves around feelings of
safety in the workplace. This is not a surprise, as the most popular response to enjoying time away from the
office was “the feeling of safety and protection from Covid-19”.
Companies of all sizes are encouraged to:
• Purchase air purifiers for every 1,000 sq ft of open office space.
• Install touchless or automated door openers.
• Purchase PPE such as gloves, facemasks, face shields and gowns where necessary.
• Supply cleaning and sanitizing products.
• Develop physical distancing operating paths.
o Banks have done this successfully by limiting the number of clients who can enter their
branch. They have visible markers on the ground and have employees navigating traffic.
BEST PRACTICES
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON

12. • “I hope my leader discusses safe measures the company will take to ease into normalcy.”
• “Thank you for coming back.”
• “How to be safe and not spread the virus, as well as how to follow new guidelines.”
WHEN YOU RETURN TO WORK, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT YOUR
LEADER TO COMMUNICATE TO YOU DURING THE FIRST ALL-
HANDS MEETING OR TOWN HALL?
Most employees who were surveyed responded with answers related to PPE and new regulations. We
believe that your employees will fall within one of three categories.
BEST PRACTICES
LOYALISTS
These team members are ones that you should include in your relaunch plan.
They believe in your company’s purpose, leadership and see a long-term
career within your industry. They will return back to your business with great
enthusiasm, high engagement and productivity.
STRADDLERS
These employees need their spirits lifted. They need to be presented a path
to success and will likely need regular one-on-one conversations with
managers during onboarding, especially within the first 30 days.
DEFECTORS
These employees have already decided that they will not be returning to your
organization. They will pursue another career, join another organization or go
back to school.
All leaders, from all industries and sizes of companies, need to create a communication plan to disseminate
to their teams. This will impact morale, reignite company culture and influence productivity. This is critical to
reopening your company as smoothly as possible.
No one wants to be led by a pessimist and a high level of communication instills confidence and optimism.
Speak openly about how finding solutions to turbulent events creates growth and opportunity in one’s
career. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, " A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON

13. 5-STAR RELAUNCH
COMMUNICATION PLAN
• The Leaders Role
⚬ A sincere welcome back message and gesture.
⚬ What decisions did the company make and why?
⚬ How are you, the leader, feeling? What are you grappling with? Your team members will appreciate the
candor and it will inspire them to get in touch with their own feelings.
• Financial
⚬ What is the financial position of the company? We recommend speaking to this because employees will
need transparency in order to feel secure.
⚬ Which government loans did your organization apply for and receive? Which were you declined for?
You don’t want your team members thinking, “Why aren’t they bringing us all back? The government is
providing loans.”
• About Them
⚬ Speak directly to how your relaunch efforts will impact their career.
⚬ Discuss pay, schedule and seniority.
⚬ Share how this may affect their training and development opportunities in the near-future.
• Future Outlook
⚬ Describe what you believe the next 12-24 months will look like for the business and industry.
⚬ In easy-to-understand terms, share new KPIs and forecasts.
⚬ Present a plan to achieve these new goals and share what you believe each department needs to do to
achieve these targets.
• Q&A
⚬ We recommend asking your employees to submit questions beforehand while also fielding questions
without being briefed.
Within this communication plan, which can be done in-person with appropriate physical distancing in place or even
done virtually, we suggest speaking to a minimum of five topics to preemptively answer questions your returning
employees may have.
36.2%
20.5%
20.9%
22.4%
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON

14. WOULD YOU REPORT YOUR EMPLOYER TO THE AUTHORITIES IF
THERE WAS INADEQUATE SOCIAL DISTANCING AND OTHER
REGULATIONS?
Definetly not Maybe
Probably Yes, definetly
36.2%
20.5%
20.9%
22.4%
Strictly following government guidelines and providing clear channels of communication for your employees
to share their feedback is imperative to instill a company culture of trust and safety. Ensuring that you
adhere to regulations will limit the likelihood that your company becomes a negative case study for
reopening and within the media.
BEST PRACTICES
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON

15. HOW HAS THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE THINGS CHANGED FOR
YOU PRE/POST COVID-19
PROVISION OF HAND SANITIZER
STATIONS THROUGHOUT THE
WORKPLACE
MUCH MORE
IMPORTANT TO ME
THE SAME MUCH LESS
SAVING IN GENERAL
SOCIAL DISTANCING WHILE
ON PREMISES
DOORS THAT OPEN THAT YOU
DON'T NEED TO TOUCH
HOW AIR FLOWS AROUND
YOUR WORKPLACE
HEALTH BENEFITS
ABILITY TO WORK REMOTELY
SAVING FOR
RETIREMENT
WORK LIFE BALANCE
PLEXIGLASS BETWEEN
WORKSTATIONS/SEATING
A PENSION
VARIABLE COMPENSATION
BEING FRIENDS WITH CO-
WORKERS
VACATION TIME
A LUNCH AREA TO EAT IN
ASSIGNED SEATING
EMPLOYEE PARKING
MEALS WITH CO-WORKERS
62% 29% 5%
57% 36% 7%
54% 32% 9%
51% 34% 9%
50% 44% 6%
49% 36% 8%
48% 39% 8%
45% 36% 8%
43% 33% 10%
43% 46% 7%
35% 45% 9%
34% 42% 9%
31% 48% 15%
26% 48% 17%
25% 37% 17%
24% 44% 19%
23% 41% 23%
20% 49% 16%
The employees who left your organization aren’t necessarily the same ones that are returning. Priority in regards to
their career, workplace and safety have changed noticeably as represented in the chart below.
Review this document closely and identify the top three categories that you believe you can positively
impact within a 30-90 day period. These efforts will not go unnoticed and will have a direct correlation to
your employee’s performance.
BEST PRACTICES
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON

16. CONCLUSION
@SHANESKILLEN @MICHELFALCON
Ensuring that our team members return with high employee engagement
and are able to operate within a safe environment will be imperative to
rebuilding our company culture. These efforts will increase the probability
that our businesses rebound with minimal disruption in order to serve our
customers and generate the required revenue to operate until we return to
normal capacities.
All businesses will need to find a balance between building employee-
facing strategies for today, planning for short and medium-term
operational outcomes while also managing new customer experiences.
Following the best practices in this playbook will help build a refined
foundation for your organization.
For media and podcast appearances contact
michel@michelfalcon.com and shane.skillen@hotspex.com.
For Michel Falcon to host virtual team webinars for your company
contact theresabeenken@nsb.com (CEO, National Speakers
Bureau & Global Speakers).
MEDIA AND VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS