How to Cope With Going Back to the Office During the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Back to the office … while a pandemic is still going on.
It's being called the Great Return with companies across the nation beckoning (or forcing) workers back into physical workplaces - for a whole host of reasons - some of which aren’t sound in logic or reason.
At one time, we imagined celebrating this reimmersion into face-to-face interactions after harsh COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions and lockdowns.
This milestone should theoretically signal a return to the “normal” (I really don’t like this word, but I’m using it for a specific purpose here) of life we anticipate. Covid-19 vaccines and a booster dose have been rolled out. And, Public Health Officials have assured us that high vaccination rates including a second booster shot will help protect against serious illness and death.
Yet, COVID-19 cases, infections, and hospitalizations are rising yet again.
So, we must face the fact that, despite our best efforts, the disease hasn’t been completely eliminated and will continue to be with us for quite some time.
Oh, wait - lest we forget about the rising cost of gas, leaving pandemic pets at home, inflation, the joy of commuting, and more.
I've seen some organizations that are just expecting people to 'just be ok' coming back to an office as COVID-19 continues to rage, and as if everything is the same as the 'Before Time'. So, as trauma, disruption, and loss reverberate across our communities, you can add a return to the office request/demand to your list of shifting realities.
What a pile of sunshine, puppies, and rainbows - amiright?
So, for those who may be very reasonably struggling with the idea of this - how can you manage the emotional impact of (what feels like for some) seismic shift in how life has been lived in recent years?
Great question! I’ve compiled some strategies you can draw on to realistically navigate your evolving workplace condition.
CHANGING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
There's no way to know how many iterations it'll take to establish a 'works for mostly everybody' return-to-office strategy.
And this indecision is causing divisions between management and employees, and, in some cases, it’s been getting pretty ugly.
Corporations saying they need to boost productivity and workplace culture are being met by skepticism and frustration from workers - when they’re shown nothing but productivity and that they can be trusted to do their jobs from home in the past 2.5 years.
It's pretty ludicrous to brand someone who morphed their home into a multifunctional work center that integrates office and home duties, child care, schooling, and family healthcare, as lacking in productivity.
The radical workplace changes carried out against the ravages of illness and loss brought by COVID-19 impact people in multiple ways.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) highlights these impacts as chronic levels of uncertainty, job insecurity, intensified workload demands, the stress of childcare, and heightened anxiety felt by those deemed vulnerable to the disease.
Such diverse and evolving circumstances impact people differently. As a remote or hybrid worker, you may have really struggled or thrived from the autonomy and improved work-life integration you achieved, or a combination of both. This process has been different for everyone - so let's not treat it as a one-size-fits-all.
You may have discovered opportunities to complete chores or walk your dog during work breaks or other “life things” that you couldn’t do with how you worked before. Cutting out your work commute might give you more precious moments with family you would normally be missing.
It’s understandable if the thought of losing these useful benefits makes you anxious or pissed off.
FINDING BALANCE BETWEEN WORKING FROM HOME AND RETURNING TO THE OFFICE
It's likely that your pre-pandemic work routine was effectively compartmentalized from other areas of your life. Traditional work cultures commonly prevent other aspects of our lives from encroaching on our work obligations…dare we say intentionally?
Switch to a pandemic and you're suddenly pushing your cat off your zoom call while cooking dinner, checking your kid's temperature, and monitoring incoming work emails. This intensified experience has an impact.
An impact we still don’t quite understand.
The attempt to kick workers' feelings out of the office was never a healthy or achievable pursuit. We are complex, holistic beings who can’t just switch off our concerns at the office door (or in the Zoom room).
SHIFTING TO A HYBRID WORK MODEL FROM REMOTE WORKING
Returning to office spaces brings you into the realm of human contact missed during lockdowns. Something that a lot of people missed a lot, and others not so much.
How can you handle the readjustment period, realistically?
There are emerging strategies for handling a return to physical workspaces, including:
Limit how much media you consume from news updates to social media. Choose a few reliable sources for information and avoid overdosing on social media which can trigger anxiety and stress.
Respond to your manager's communication efforts. Try to be honest and open in your responses.
Be sensitive to signs of distress. This goes for you and others. Go gently as you adjust to (yet another) form of “normal”.
Keep connections consistent and purposeful with your colleagues or direct reports – ask them how the pandemic has affected their lives, what the biggest struggle has been, and what they’re doing to take care of themselves. (1)
Ask your colleagues, team, employees, etc., if they’re all right. Just a simple question like this can make all the difference, so commit to being consistent with checking in. (2)
HOW TO CONTINUE TO STAY PRODUCTIVE WHILE WORKING FROM HOME
Our work roles form a crucial part of our identity.
The position we fulfill and our level of authority is reinforced by how others respond to us. As a remote worker, some folks may have felt like they lost this physical connection to peers, even if they 'didn't miss it'.
And it can be disconcerting to find yourself wondering how your work performance is being measured based on where your physical body is located when you do that work.
IMPOSTER SYNDROME
Working in isolation has sparked rising cases of employees experiencing Impostor Syndrome.
Imposter Syndrome manifests as the feeling that you are not what others perceive you to be and causes feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy, and an inability to accept earned success.(3)
Why did Imposter Syndrome increase during the pandemic? Think about it.
For all those moments at work where you may have said something like, “It’s complete luck that X liked the project, trust me” or “Yea, the award was great, but I bet they gave it to me just to be nice” - usually people right in front of your face would tell you how ridiculous you were being.
Despite the 485 ways we have to stay in touch digitally these days, those correction moments weren’t happening as often when folks were working remotely. So, the Imposter Syndrome self-talk and “I hope they still see my value while I work from home” raged strong.
To address uncertainty and insecurity fears it is helpful to focus on your immediate arc of control. Consider what impact you can exert on improving your circumstances.
Practice this in your conversations by (4):
Acknowledge and take stock in your continued accomplishments - you will survive if you do
Stay connected and allow others to support (and compliment) you even in a virtual environment
Be flexible with yourself and others
MANAGING STRESS LEVELS WHEN YOU HAVE TO RETURN TO THE OFFICE
Remote work continues for some, while others are returning to the office full-time. And the hybrid work model is (trying to) bridge this divide.
Companies must recognize the varied impact that's occurred here. It pressures the World of Work to confront the reality that workers are not homogenous and have varied reactions to the prospect of returning to physical workplaces. There’s no one size fits all. You think we would have already learned this by now…
While some executives assume that a physical workplace optimizes employee connection, this is debatable. And while it is established that social isolation poorly impacts human health, physical workplaces don’t necessarily combat this.
A study by consulting firm Accenture Plc found that almost twice as many in-office employees felt "not connected" to their work firm compared to remote workers.
Meanwhile, open-plan, modern office designs aimed at facilitating connectedness often fail. The lack of intimacy, noise, and unstructured seating arrangements reduce conversations and make workers feel less noticed.
This sense of not being seen or heard permeated many workplaces pre-pandemic. But with workers summoned back to work, creating (reasonably) harmonious workspaces is more urgent than ever. The challenging impacts of returning to physical places of work cannot be underestimated.
Check out this poignant video by Sam Peetermans and Guus Tijssen, which turns the child-to-parent relationship on its head by pretty accurately representing the emotional transition for many employees.
It’s cute – so make sure to watch it and then come back.
PRIORITIZE MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK CONVERSATIONS
After multiple waves of the COVID-19 crisis, ongoing shootings in public places, social discord with strangers, and the cost of living getting so high you want to flip a table - you’ve been pummeled by information, misinformation, loss, grief, and despair.
As you head back to communal workspaces, the goal is not to eradicate related stress responses. Rather, it's learning to acknowledge and manage sustained stress.
Again, you can begin to manage complex emotions and stress by identifying what power you really possess to effect change for yourself. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that you cannot control the thoughts and behaviors of others (sorry telepaths - no offense).
Do what resonates as “good” to you. Wear a mask if it makes you feel safe. If a setting feels too crowded or risky, leave. Request to join group meetings via video if possible if you’re feeling “people’d out” from being in the office several days that week already
Be responsive to inquiries from your manager and honest about any apprehension you have in returning to the office. They won’t know what you need (or what you’re feeling) unless you tell them. Assert your influence in creating a physically and psychologically safe workplace - and explain what that would look like for you.
For those of you who are comforted by policies and procedures, research your office's COVID-19 policies and ensure they are effective.
If you’d like even more, the ILO's Safe Return to Work Guide offers a comprehensive list of practices your employers are obligated to enforce. You can also refer to regularly updated guidelines by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
MANAGERS' ROLES IN SUPPORTING RETURNING WORKERS TO AN OFFICE
The best place to start is with conversations.
It is incredibly beneficial to encourage employees to drop the facade that everything's alright.
Honest interactions allow people to develop a greater sense of equilibrium, even as it’s developing. Here are some techniques managers can implement (5):
Normalize your own struggle. This sets the tone for honesty and may alleviate concerns that showing vulnerability undermines professionalism.
Be sensitive and authentic in your concern for employees' wellbeing. Inquire at appropriate times. Listen carefully, and pay attention to body language. Avoid telling people "not to worry."
Remind employees that diverse and fluctuating feelings are normal and expected. We’ve all seen Inside Out, honor the mood board people.
Invite feedback from your team to establish strategies that offer flexibility and support - and keep revisiting them if they need to be modified
Ensure employees know how to seek mental health support.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF RESOURCES - THEY’RE THERE TO HELP YOU
The provision of mental health information must be a priority in all workplaces. I’m literally not sure what else it will need to take to stress this, no pun intended.
Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), health insurance, coaching programs - and more. They’re all there to help employees get access to help as they navigate work, their mental health, and more.
Please stress to your workforce that EAPs provide confidential advice, assessment, counseling, and referral services. Let me say that again - confidential help - except in cases of potential harm to self, harm to others, child abuse, or elder abuse. So the concern of folks’ information getting back to their boss or HR can be quelled.
Other mental health resources for employees include:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resources for employees
REALISTICALLY COPING
As employees return to their physical workplaces, they carry the burden of their COVID-19 experiences (and other events that have happened during the pandemic) with them.
Instead of pretending like this isn’t happening, let’s focus on how to help people realistically cope with that process, shall we?
Are you ready to help your team cope with going back to the office while COVID-19 is still raging? Reach out to Melissa to learn more.
Want to learn more about creating a psychologically safe space for mental health conversations in the workplace? Check out Melissa’s book for more information.
