As with the rest of the last two years, things surrounding Covid, Covid restrictions, and office vs. home working remain very unclear right now. Things are ever-changing and we never know what the next week or month is going to hold.
As it stands, it seems that at least some of us will be headed back to the office in the New Year, at least for part of our working weeks.
How do we handle that?
Will we slip back into it or will it feel like swimming in entirely new waters?
I don’t know. But what I do know is that there are a few different ways in which we will be able to make the process a lot easier on ourselves.
Here they are.
Allow yourself to have negative feelings
It is ok if you feel weird about returning to the office, millions of other people across the world do too.
The worst thing we can do when we have negative feelings is to ignore or try to suppress them. They are much easier to handle and deal with if we acknowledge their existence and take the necessary steps to support and protect ourselves.
Lots of other people will feel the same way you do, so try your best to reach out and talk about it. We have all been through really challenging and uncertain times over the last two years and it’s ok to feel a little bewildered at this point.
Bring what worked at home into the office
If you are worried about leaving your productivity and/or enjoyable workday at home, try and bring some of the things that worked for you into the office, whether that is physical items or simply a routine that you have.
If you really enjoy a fresh coffee at lunchtime, nip out of the office to get one. If you are used to a morning walk, take one before you go into the office. If you miss your warm feet, get a little feet warmer you can bring to the office.
You deserve to be comfortable and happy in your office as well as at home so make all the arrangements you can for yourself.
No one else is going to stand up for you if you don’t do it first.
Re-bond with your colleagues
It’s natural to feel a little strange around your colleagues and office mates after being out of the office for a long time. Try not to lose hope and think that this is the only way it is going to be going forward.
Relationships can always get back on track with a little effort and TLC on both sides.
Try inviting your coworkers out for lunch or making the first move to start a little morning conversation over coffee.
You will feel a lot happier and a lot more settled back in the office if you can get the rapport flowing with your colleagues. It might seem daunting at first but things always come around again after a little bit of time.
Don’t be too worried if it feels awkward for the first couple of weeks back, we are all readjusting after some very trying times and it is normal that it would take some time.
We will all get there in the end.
