Ask the Coach - Aug 18th
Ask the Coach: July 14th
After largely working from home during the pandemic, my office is calling the employees to return to the office - no exceptions. I’ve missed co workers and the convenience of walking down the hall to chat with someone about a project, but I haven’t missed the commute, the politics, or the wardrobe. How can I go back to work in my office and actually enjoy it?
Our working situations have changed dramatically since early 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many people to lose their jobs, and companies around the world made the move to remote work.
Despite the challenges of making our living . into our working space, we’ve gotten used to the comforts of working from home, and we know that employees are feeling anxious about returning to the office. So how do we make this transition easier on ourselves, and our staff.? Working with my clients on a return-to-work strategy have found the following 6 tips quite helpful. Excerpts from Deloitte:
1. Be compassionate with yourself, and others
Being at home all the time and losing familiar structures and routines led some of us to overwork — which might have included taking up new hobbies with overly high expectations — while others struggled to focus.
Consider the things that have changed for you this year and decide what elements you want to keep.
We lost or had to adjust the little daily routines that make up our lives, and as many of us are exiting crisis mode, it’s time to take stock of both what your life is like now and what it used to be like.
It’s important to acknowledge the journey we’ve been on and give yourself compassion and empathy as you shift to another “new normal”.
2. Set realistic expectations and be intentional with your time and energy
If a commute is part of your return to the office, your time is likely to be squeezed during this transition.
Better to think about what projects, teams, activities and individuals you want to be more connected with. How can you show up where you want to be? How are you going to distribute your finite energy and time intentionally? Are there certain things you’ve invested time or energy in that you want to continue? Or leave behind?
If you’re preparing to return to in-person work, you need to understand what it will look like. Companies are taking different approaches, but one thing is certain, we’re not going back to what it was pre-pandemic. There are going to be limitations on how people will be getting together.
This could mean that lunch break spaces, meeting rooms and even restrooms may look very different than before.
3. Establish a new routine (and wake up early enough to do it!)
Working from home, you’ve probably mastered the art of hopping on Zoom at the last minute. The thought of a morning routine might seem like a distant memory.
Think about how you can bridge your current routine with the one you need. Figure out what time you need to wake up and what support you might need at home. Start thinking about building in small pieces of the routine into your current schedule, so you can scaffold up to what you are going to need to do.
I really encourage folks to have a routine – a well-defined schedule that you potentially match up with your colleagues. Otherwise, you run the risk of going back to the office but still feeling alone or isolated.
4. Set your boundaries
Working from home blurred a lot of boundaries. When you are sitting at a makeshift desk in your bedroom or kitchen, it can be almost impossible to separate work from
home. We became more accessible – we allowed people to email anytime, so the boundaries were lost.
This shift back to the office gives you the chance to set your boundaries in terms of availability, communication and when and where you work. Do you want to turn off your emails at certain times? Are Zoom or Teams still viable options for meetings? Are weekly check-in meetings most effective? Think about what works best for your productivity and your mental health and share these findings with your employer and colleagues.
Suddenly being around a lot of people again could come as a shock to the system
5.When you reconnect with people, remember they’ve also been through a lot
Socializing is an important aspect of work, but it’s a big source of anxiety for many. Its important to remember that everyone has experienced the pandemic differently, and some are excited to return to work. Go easy on yourself and ease into the process. It took time to adapt to working from home, so it will take a bit of time to reacclimate to working in the office again.
6.Be prepared to take care of your mental health
It’s totally normal to plan for anxiety — after all, we do this all the time for big, anxiety-provoking events like starting a new job, weddings and births.
Meaghan O’Reilly PhD Psychologist at Stanford recommends following three steps: Pin down a date to return to the office, have an internal conversation about how you’re feeling, and talk to people about it. “Free-floating anxiety is worse than specific worries,” O’Reilly says. “Having an anchor date is grounding, so it’s not sudden or unknown. Asking yourself questions helps you attend to your feelings and adapt to the stressors.”
And finally remember, we are human and need social connection. From a health perspective we know that connection can lower anxiety and depression, help us to regulate our emotions, lead to higher self esteem and empathy and improve our immune system.
Best,
Merrill
We have the pleasure of joining forces with Merrill Pierce, a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) accredited by Corporate Coach U, and a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF). She is also an accredited member of Society of Organizational Learning (SOL), and an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mediator certified by the ADR Institute of Canada.
Merrill has spent over 20 years working at a number of Fortune 500 companies, of which 10 years were at the senior executive level. This background provides her with a solid and practical understanding of personal and professional issues, challenges, and concerns. Merrill is also a regular contributor to the media and has published several articles and white papers on business related topics.
Merrill is ready to tackle YOUR questions! Whether they are personal, or professional - she can anonymously answer your submissions, and help you navigate any relevant challenges occurring in your life. Doing so could help others in similar situations and scenarios. Merrill will also be presenting advice on relevant, general topics to help our readers. If you want to send a question to Merrill, please submit to submissions@explorefenelonfalls.com before the Monday of each week (otherwise your question may be held til a following week!).
