ALASKA—When Alaska Region employees in the regional office returned to the federal building in downtown Juneau, they heard about the importance of giving each other “grace and space.” Thanks to a small group of return to the physical workplace planners, employees were also able to experience that grace firsthand.

From a quiet mediation room facing Juneau’s Gastineau channel—where the chances of seeing a pod of orcas swimming by is always a possibility—to a conference room of informational tables offering tips on health, wellness, well-being and safety, the regional office consistently demonstrated the importance of providing space for its employees to take a minute, breathe deeply and contemplate the new hybrid office environment they’d just entered.

In addition to ensuring a wealth of health information was available, the region’s This is Who We Are team rolled out a variety of collectible materials for employees—including booklets, reference cards, posters and banners—to support continued promotion of the agency’s core values and code and commitments.

As each returning regional employee visited an empty workspace that they had not seen in over two years, they found a small gift bag of goodies, a welcome back card signed by the deputy and regional forester and their supervisor, and a handy checklist for reconnection of computers, phones and printers.

“We really wanted to show up and authentically and physically show how we gave our employees space and grace,” said Penny Bullingham, executive assistant for the regional forester. “To see the smiles, hear the conversations, observe the interest in information, and feel the appreciation of our employees made this return to the workplace a success.”