Nearly 80% of employees in the US and six other countries say they think their employers should protect them from the coronavirus, although just 51% say they believe offices are safe, according to an Edelman survey. Trust in senior management on reopening decisions is low, with only 14% confident in CEOs and other executives.

Companies can enhance their employer branding with a "storydoing" approach, which involves taking actions that reflect company values and showcasing the results via storytelling, Ph.Creative CEO Bryan Adams writes. "Talk about the challenges, the imperfections, the adversities of the long road ahead as part of your vision for the future," Adams writes.

Companies must provide culturally appropriate mental health benefits to address the needs of employees who could be suffering from "race-based traumatic stress," write Andrea Holman of Huston-Tillotson University and Joe Grasso of Lyra Health. Employee resource groups can be helpful in communicating benefits and how to seek help, they write.

Companies returning to the office should watch out for a slide back into old habits and bureaucracy that could reduce the collaboration, innovation and empathy experienced during the pandemic, Josh Bersin writes. HR's role includes ensuring that new ways of leading stick and that managers "don't try to go back to 'positional power' as their reward system in the year ahead," Bersin writes.