Is It Safe To Go Back Into The Office?

Dah-dum dah-dum is the iconic sound associated with the movie “Jaws”. Those primal notes inspired by composer Stravinsky “Rite of Spring” create a feeling of anxiety that so many of us are experiencing right now as the time draws closer to return to the office. The latest date by most of the Big Tech companies has shifted to next Spring, till after the northern hemisphere winter season finishes.

For years, remote work has always been a part of employees work practice. Recent events have accelerated the virtual work trend that has been growing steadily for decades. A seismic shift has occurred, abruptly bringing the majority of office based businesses into the modern era. More than a year of remote working has shown that being in the office is optional for many people. Now, even if there was not safety issues around being in the office, people are demanding more flexibility. Are office workers finally empowered enough to end the daily commute?

Two separate issues are being conflated during conversations. Health safety (Mental & Physical) around the return to the office and flexibility around when and where employees work. Smart companies see that they are separate issues. In reaction to these demands, companies are exploring new flexible options of fully remote, hybrid and full return.

Working from home isn’t the same for everyone

Getting up later, having quality time with family and zero commute have been a silver lining for this forced Covid situation. Just as there is many benefits, there are drawbacks to being at home. Cramped working conditions, blurred boundaries between work and family time. Virtual meetings are widely reported as a cause of fatigue. Do you remember those colleagues you used to meet up with regularly, but didn’t directly work with, nor do I. Informal networks have disappeared without the supporting office constructs.

People may not have the skill level to work in an independent manner, nor the right conditions for focused work. Solitude doesn’t suit everyone (being alone in an apartment). Certain people work better in a group setting, enjoying banter with colleagues and taking part in work clubs and charity activities. Work was a natural extension to their school and college lifestyles.

Working in an office is unnecessary and counter-productive is a forceful message that is popular but not universal. Fully remote is suitable for many people in their current position and moment in life. Yet, each one of us is not an island onto ourselves. We are part of a team and a company, and that requires flexibility to support others. This support inevitably comes back around, so we all eventually benefit. Life changes will occur as your career advances. One such example is taking on different challenges over time will put you back in the low skill category. Being open minded and flexible about work locations over the course of time can work for both the employer and employee. It’s not a one solution for everyone situation. Remotely working may suit some people, but others will want time in the office. This will result in many teams working in a hybrid manner.

Flexible work has been a demand for decades. People want to manage their own work location.

Recommendations on how to return to the office

Team

Being in the office is no longer primarily about having a quiet space to work. The focus has shifted to be about face to face interactions and collaborations. Being fully remote allows for the focus and quiet time but misses interacting with people at the water cooler. Old office behaviour patterns may need to change. Start to have conversations with your team as a group to identify Moments that Matter that make up the essence of your team culture and are just better and simpler when people are together in a room. Talk through how your current interactions will work when some people are remote, while others are in the office. It’s helpful to get your team to talk through their assumptions and expectations of other team member’s behaviour. This serves to align everyone within the same team on acceptable interactions when working in a hybrid manner.

Individuals

Feelings of anxiety may arise for people who are going to return to the office after a long time being fully remote. Consciously manage any anxiety being felt before, during and after you return to the office. It’s natural to feel nervous, it’s very like starting at a new job. New patterns need to be learned and the change impacts your daily routine. Take the return slow, think about how to make it a positive experience. Make sure you follow local government regulations and your workplace guidance on a safe return.

Learn how to safely navigate your new environment filled with hand sanitisers and wipes. You may not be at your old desk, prepare to be in a hot-desk situation. Colleagues may not be present and those that are might may be wearing masks. Even using lifts may feel strange and unsafe.

On that first day:

1. Clear your calendar to create space for yourself to immerse back into the office environment.
2. Allow time to visit the surrounding restaurants, shops and coffee houses.
3. Don’t go in by yourself, talk with your colleagues and arrange to meet them on that first day, to reconnect in person.

How the first day back happened for me!

Let me share my return to the office experience. I decided to return to know what it was like and I was curious to know what happened to my personal desk items I left behind so long ago!

The week before my first day, I informed my workplace and took all the recommended online safety practice training courses. In my situation, each day you want to attend the office, you must self-certify you are in good health using the company covid app. This enables your access badge for entry. I chose a day with few meetings. I decided to drive in, partly to avoid public transport and also because I wanted to bring back home those long forgotten personal desk items.

That day I left home after the normal rush hour, I hit traffic near the office and was stuck in a jam for twenty minutes. A couple of my team members had agreed to meet up with me in the office. One of them, I had never met in person before. The whole team had agreed to have a virtual lunch over video. It was good to meet in person with a team member I have been remotely working with for nearly a year. It brings more solidity to the connection.

It was a great start. At reception, I got a goody bag of wipes, masks and a strange plastic device to press the lift button with ( I ignored it and used the corner of my work badge). I couldn’t find the assigned desk to start off with and wandered around the floor until I plucked up the courage to ask someone. I had forgotten that the desk numbers are on a label near the back of the table top. There probably was less than ten people present in total, I felt safe. I settled in at my hot-desk pretty easily, the location felt expansive compared to my bedroom based workstation. I had a window with a view. There was a lack of cables for the desk monitors, but I just got on with it for the day. I took a tour of the office with one of my colleagues and the familiarity of the place began to settle back on me.

A simple IT request saw the return my desk items and missing monitor cables. It was a strange feeling to be be given all my items in a cardboard box. It reminded me of the famous news clip during the Lehman brother layoffs. The one where a worker is leaving with just a cardboard box. This was probably among the most difficult mental adjustments I encountered that day. I’m not sure why that particular interaction made such an impression upon me.

It was refreshing to be working from a different location than my bedroom. Meeting colleagues face to face and getting coffee was a real highlight of the day. The virtual lunch went as well as it usually does, most people food arriving at different times or not at all 😦. I’m looking forward to spending more ad-hoc days in the office. I hope to reacquaint with more colleagues from across the company. It was surprising how quickly the cloak of familiarity returned.

The rest of the time was a standard working day. I left a bit early too, an empty office can be a bit lonely as evening arrives.

Conclusion

Businesses go through cycles and face different challenges along the way, that us employees are not exposed to. Changing the culture to be more flexible, but still manage the ever changing challenges is going to take years to flush through the engrained processes and practices. Fortunately, two years into the change process have already passed.

We are in an intense period of change around flexible work practices. I’m confident it is going to end better than it began, catapulting us forward in a short timeframe. The final result will achieve a new balance between employees happiness and business outcomes.

Keep asking your company for flexible work that will allow you to lead a better lifestyle. Keep in mind the business needs to be successful too. Manage your anxiety, break the ice by returning to the office if you have not done so already, it will help dispel anxiety.

Two key take-aways actions: Clear you calendar and arrange to meet colleagues on the first day.

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