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Productivity / Well-being

Back to Office: How to Have A Smooth Transition in 2021

April 9, 2021
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COVID-19 has kept us on our toes to say the least. With most countries going into lockdown one year ago, many of us transitioned from going to the office at least a few days a week, to working from home full-time. For one year, Zoom calls have been the primary way of interaction with our colleagues, our supervisors and clients. Now, the advances and distributions of vaccines bear the promise of a rapid return to the office in 2021. But what does this mean for you?

Many are looking forward to be leaving home office behind and regaining some normality by working in the office more regularly again. After all, working in near proximity to your team colleagues, socializing during lunch or coffee breaks and easily separating professional and work life are all great benefits of going to the office every day.

However, polls found that 44% of working adults feel anxious about returning to the office

That’s quite an alarming number, given that anxiety can keep you back from being the best version of yourself. Returning to the office during such an extraordinary situation can raise many worries and doubts in many people. “Is it safe?”, “Can I trust my employer to ensure safety in the office?”, “Are my colleagues taking corona rules seriously?”. In these unprecedented times, it is common to have these questions in mind.

Do you have to return to the office soon and you feel insecure or anxious about it? Then keep on reading – here are 3 Quick Things you can do for a smooth transition and get the most out of going back to the office.

Get the information you need.

Are you worried about hygiene at work? Ask your employer about measures taken to improve hygiene at the office, during meetings, and in break rooms. Ask your colleagues about how they are planning to ensure health and safety in the office – after all, they are probably having the same questions or feelings around this topic.

You can also think about what you can do to increase your safety and protect your health. For example, you might decide to wash your hands more frequently or open the window every half an hour to let some fresh air into the room.

Sounds simple, right? But really taking a moment to visualize how you can gain some control over your health when returning to the office can help alleviate anxiety. By knowing what to expect and having a concrete plan of steps that you can take, you will feel safer and more relaxed. And being more relaxed can have great benefits for your immune system, which helps you stay healthy.

Mentally prepare for the return to the office.

Even if you carried out the same work tasks when working from home as you will when returning to the office, it still helps to take some time to mentally prepare for the return to the office. Take some time to mentally reflect about your upcoming work tasks. What are they? How can you best approach them? How can you avoid or tackle possible barriers to the execution of your work tasks? Write a To-Do list for your work tasks before you return to the office. Set goals for your tasks and work in general.

By mentally tuning to working in the office again, you are prepared. And by being prepared, you feel more secure, focused and engaged.

Focus on what you can get out of the situation.

While the joys of working from home can be many – (seamlessly switching from sitting at your desk to lounging in your couch with a glass of wine within minutes feels great!) – being at the office has its perks as well. Take advantage of them!

Meet with your colleagues in person to discuss work tasks you are collaborating on. Personal meetings are sometimes more efficient for brainstorming or troubleshooting. Or meet with your colleagues for coffee or lunch breaks and make up for the time you spent apart. Stop by your colleague’s office to say Hi in the morning.

Such situations are perfect for informal conversations, which have been largely reduced or even missing during the last year. Also, did you know that informal interactions with colleagues are great for building relationships and being happy at work?

So, returning to the office in 2021 comes with a lot of opportunities to reconnect with your colleagues, to boost your productivity and to regain some normality.

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This post is based on the following sources and academic articles

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