Sequoia aims to help companies shore up return-to-work plan

Sequoia Consulting Group recently announced the launch of Return to Work Center, a platform meant to help companies plan for their transitions back to physical offices and workspaces.

The center works as a guide for organizations by providing framework for policy development, employee testing and management as they move back into offices.

"Me, as a business owner, and my decisions around [the pandemic] affect our employees' health and their families and communities' health. So, what the Return to Work Center does is helps to match those policies on the employer side and then also the actions employees need to take as well, and ties those together," said Greg Golub, CEO of Sequoia Consulting.

The center includes the following features to help guide a return-to-work plan:

• Policy creation. Users can set policies by clicking different sections. The polices can be easily changed to fit state and national guidelines.
• Testing and care setup. Matches pre-vetted medical testing with an employee's health plans, location and unique needs.
• Playbook and cohort management. As the return-to-work plan is in action, users can manage cohorts, oversee daily attendance and respond to changing conditions in the office and outside world.
• Education and communication. Sequoia's partnership with Josh Bersin Academy helps to prepare and train HR management.
• Analyze and manage. Consolidates analytics, reporting and benchmarking on employee progress as they transition back to work. Analyzes and tracks the progress in each office space like employee status and key trends.

The Return to Work Center is integrated with healthcare provider One Medical and law firm Wilson Sonsini's SixFifty to provide content and services for workplaces that plan on reopening.

"That's where all the CDC questions come in, and then it guides [employees] if they ever answer that they're sick and provides them the right healthcare," Golub said. "[The mobile app] also allows them to make reservations at the office, so they can, in advance, say they want to come to the office at this time and book a spot."

As an employer crafts its back-to-work plan, analysts advised that the center should be considered just a framework for transitioning back, and remain aware of employee apprehension.

"How do you ensure that people feel safe? That they feel comfortable? That they're not overly stressed out or anxious coming back into the workplace? That does require a human touch that the technology cannot provide," said Andrew Hewitt, an analyst at Forrester Research.

Pricing for the Return to Work Center ranges based on the size of the company, with a minimum size of 100 employees. The price is per employee, per month.