Omnicom details back to the office plans

Omnicom has officially released its back to the office guidelines as vaccinations against Covid-19 ramp up across the globe. 

According to an internal memo sent by chairman and CEO John Wren, obtained by Campaign US, Omnicom plans to return to “an office-centric culture” as its baseline. 

“We believe it enables us to invent, collaborate and learn together most effectively,” Wren said in the memo. 

Further details reveal that Omnicom expects to return to the office gradually, and the process will vary by country depending on infection and vaccination rates. In parts of Asia, employees are back to the office already. In the US, UK and other parts of Europe, Omnicom expects employees to return gradually throughout the summer, with most back by early fall. 

Across the rest of Omnicom’s markets, the holding company expects return dates to “vary depending on local conditions.” 

To facilitate reopenings, Omnicom developed a five-stage dial that it will assign to work sites depending on local health data and government guidance. The stages will be adjusted according to whether health conditions improve or decline, with stage 1 representing mandatory remote work and stage 5 representing a full reopening. 

Omnicom offices in the US are in stage 3, and employees that are vaccinated are encouraged to return and schedule days for onsite-work. US managers are also encouraged to invite their vaccinated team members back to the office for scheduled meetings and lunches beginning on June 1. 

Omnicom reaffirmed that it is maintaining safety protocols, including temperature screenings upon entry, physical distancing guidelines, face covering requirements and office occupancy limits.

As for working hours, internal assessments revealed that the majority of employees want to return to the office with flexibility for remote work. 

As a result, Omnicom will develop specific plans in the next several weeks about policies for on-site, hybrid and off-site work. The company did not provide detail on how many days per week employees are expected to be in the office or how flexible those days are.

Wren affirmed, however, that the health and safety of employees “is, and has been, [Omnicom’s] top priority as [leadership] has thought about how and where people should work during the pandemic.” 

He added that he looks forward to the day “in the not-too-distant future” when employees can safely work together again in person.