How to Return to the Office...Without Workplace Anxiety

Restaurants have reopened, concerts are back, businesses are bidding employees return to the office and, if you’re like most, you’re feeling mixed emotions at best about the whole thing. After more than a year of dutifully wearing a mask and maintaining social distance, it is hard to relax into the easing of these restrictions and what’s worse, doing so only represents the tip of the anxiety iceberg that accompanies the return to normalcy. 

A recent survey by the American Psychological Association shows that nearly half (49%) of adults feel uneasy about adjusting to in-person interaction once the pandemic ends. Further, an enormous proportion says their mental health has worsened throughout the pandemic with Gen Z adults (46%) most likely to make this claim followed by Gen Xers (33%), Millennials (31%), Boomers (28%), and older adults (9%).

For many, this anxiety is rooted in health and safety concerns as well as the simple, age-old fear of change. As hard as this past year and a half has been, we’ve grown accustomed to our new circumstances and now struggle to revert to old ways of interacting. This presents an enormous obstacle for those required to return to the office, where both productivity and personal safety fears collide to create a cocktail of workplace anxiety that is hard to swallow. 

How to Pave the Way for a Smooth Return 

The anxiety of the moment is driven by uncertainty which means the best thing you can do for yourself and your team is communicate clearly about what the return will involve. Doing so successfully means keeping the following in mind: 

1. Articulate Expectations

Each member of your team will arrive with their own concerns and while you can’t address all of them you can assuage the majority of them by outlining expectations upon return to the office. This includes drafting a guideline for in-person interactions, food and drink consumption, and breakroom use among other subjects. It also means letting team members know what sort of pandemic-related supplies will be on hand.

2. Give the Lay of the Land 

Among the most frequent concerns cited by returning workers is what the post-pandemic office will look and feel like. Answer this question by providing a visual of your layout accompanied by a clear explanation of how space will be used and shared.  

3. Be Transparent

Inevitably, going back to the office carries as much uncertainty for you as for your team. There will be a lot you don’t know and instead of burying this in ambiguous language, be forthcoming. The simple act of direct communication will ease fears and the transparency will nurture trust. 

Bringing workers back to offices is as much a stressor for companies as it is for those they employ. While drafting a return plan may sound like cause for even more workplace anxiety, doing so promises to reduce stress over the long- and even medium-term. 

To learn more about how to leverage constructive communication in the interest of everyone’s well-being or to get into the nuts and bolts of drafting a going-back-to-the-office plan, do not hesitate to reach out to Hiring & Empowering Solutions by scheduling a call with founder Molly McGrath.

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