3 Tips on How to Handle the Return to the Office
As more and more businesses return to their offices, you likely are now faced with a schedule that balances in-person and remote working. Returning to the office is daunting for many after working remotely for two years. We’ve become accustomed to the flexibility and comfort of home. However, many businesses are now pushing for their workers to return to the office.
To make returning to the workplace easier, keep these three factors in mind.
1. Anticipate and prepare for stressors
For many of us, returning to the office is going to be a significant life change. By anticipating and preparing for these stressors, the transition will be less stressful.
For example, having worked from home for the last 2 years, it might be hard to imagine having to make a commute a part of your morning schedule again and some may dread the thought of doing so. Instead of focusing on the negative, I encourage my clients to focus on the opportunity that their commute provides by appreciating the break it gives you to move from one part of your day to another. Use this time to mindfully transition between your different roles, establishing the right frame of mind for work or, later on, for friends and family. By doing so, you can create a separation of work and home that can lead to a more healthy work-life balance overall.
Another difficult transition for many is adjusting to working in a crowded office. As a result, you'll have to adapt to more background noise, people walking around, and more informal and spontaneous interactions. For most people, all of this will be distracting and you might find it difficult to focus as you would at home. To manage the stress of office distractions,use strategies such as putting on noise-cancelling headphones or going for a walk if you need some alone time. Block off focus time each day in your calendar where you turn off emails and don’t schedule meetings. Learn to give a polite verbal response to people who drop by your desk when you are busy, such as, “Can I get back to you in an hour? I'm doing something right now.”
2. Create a hybrid work schedule that works for you
Consider how you can make your schedule as productive as possible by managing your energy effectively.
Those with more introverted tendencies may find that spending no more than two days at work is more effective. You might choose Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday as your days in the office. The benefits of interspersing office days with home days can allow you to recharge as you have less stimulation from others. You can also organise your meetings for days when you’re in the office to have more extended periods of uninterrupted time during your work-from-home days.
Conversely, being in the office multiple days in a row may not be a problem if you are more extroverted. You may be energised by scheduling meetings both in the office and at home, giving you plenty of opportunities to connect with people daily. When working from home, schedule a few meetings at the beginning of your day to get you motivated and then another in the afternoon when your energy starts to fade.
Regardless of how you feel to be back in the office, it's much easier to collaborate and build relationships in person than online. Take advantage of the numerous benefits the office provides such as increased collaboration across departments and teams, reduced silos and the opportunity to socialise with colleagues. Schedule Zoom calls with overseas colleagues on your work-from-home days as these don’t require you to be present in the office.
I also encourage my clients to delve further and identify the projects, teams, activities, and individuals they want to be involved with more, as now is an opportunity to reassess your work priorities. Where do you need to be present? Are there specific tasks or projects that you want to focus on? Is there anything you can delegate or do away with?
3. Be clear and concise in how you communicate your needs
A lot of boundaries became blurred when working from home during the pandemic. The move back to the office provides an excellent opportunity to set your boundaries in terms of your availability, communication preferences, and when and where you work.
Once you have decided what your needs are, be clear and concise in how you communicate them. The tendency to apologise is common when beginning a conversation about asserting our boundaries. For example, we might say, “Sorry to bother you but…” or “Sorry to be a pain but….”.
The problem with apologising early on makes us seem ready for a "no" or some retaliation before anyone has heard anything from us. By apologising, we also dilute our message.
By communicating honestly and clearly, we leave no doubts about our intentions or meaning. By doing this, other people are less likely to misinterpret your needs and allow them to communicate more freely.
There's no need to be afraid of asserting our boundaries. Remember that we can change our minds at any time. There's nothing wrong with sharing our perspective on a situation. Being assertive and direct is okay; your boss and colleagues will appreciate it.
A final note
It's been a tough few years for us all. With our return to the office, I hope that this idea of shared humanity will remain strong and something we carry with us. While working from home during the pandemic, we all became accustomed to seeing kids or pets running around in the background on Zoom work calls. As a result, we became more fully human, allowing everyone else to cut people a bit of slack.
Let us equally be patient with ourselves and our colleagues as we adjust to being back at the office. Getting used to new schedules and new ways of being and doing will take some time. Remember that other people might be experiencing the return to the office differently from you, regardless of whether it is a welcome return or a difficult transition. However, we can make the transition back to work as smooth as possible if we are patient, define clear boundaries and assume the good intentions of our co-workers.
