BACK TO the OFFICE!!! I am sure many of you have started working from the office now. So, how are you coping with the transition? After the double vaccinations and booster shots, most people have opted to work from the office, and most establishments have opened their doors again. There has been a mixed bag of responses from employees responding to the transition from “Work from home” to Hybrid to the “In person” office mode. At the same time, many found it a relief to begin work in the office since they could meet in person and catch up with their teams now. It was back to mingling as well. 

The truth is many secretly were happy to be out of their homes because they did not have to multitask between work and household chores anymore (gender, no bar!). However, some, surprisingly, were unhappy too. They felt they had to go through the daily grind of waking up early, getting ready, and spending time on the road. All this while, remote working had saved them this commute. 

Ever since the Pandemic struck in 2020, most companies announced remote working. It was a sudden transition for people then, and hard to cope. People struggled to focus on work, and many fought to keep calm because of multitasking at home and during office work. Gradually people got used to this system of work. Zero commutes to work got people relaxed, laid back, and lazier than before. There were no more wearing formal attire. Some struggled to cope with virtual work, while some enjoyed the same. A lot of work got done by companies. Work productivity increased since more employees saved commute time and used that time to work better. It couldn’t have been a more fertile ground for organisations to mushroom and flourish. Not all sectors bloomed. Entrepreneurs started their own start-ups and ventures while working with existing companies. Many defined this era as a golden era for the corporate workforce! A lot of international collaborations began. Zoom and various cloud-based peer-to-peer communication platforms became the most sought-after platforms for companies across the globe to merge and collaborate better. The world suddenly shrunk, and the timings of communication ceased to matter for people hosting meetings at all times of the day and night. 

Many who lived near work moved their base to their hometown, living with their parents or in-laws, and have set up a remote work style and set their family and kids schooling away from the physical office. Convenient for the person who works but inconvenient for all those living with them. Some parents and partners secretly hope their spouses or kids move out of their homes so that they can have their life back and breathing space. 

The pain is real for those with complex relationships, and it worsens. The rise in domestic violence cases during the Pandemic has immensely changed home dynamics. Mental health experts state that cocooned life, lengthy and untimely work-from-home style, and growing stress levels due to the Pandemic are the reasons for the rise of domestic violence from 2020 till today. While many women are facing domestic abuse from their partners – married or living in a relationship; many men also face the same abuse. Unfortunately, men find it harder to speak about these situations than women. The other group who are vulnerable are children in these circumstances.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE
Don't hesitate to contact a crisis resources center near your area if you or anyone you know needs help and support.
Seeking help is human, and it is the first step to recovery.

Initial productivity slowly declined. Businesses want to handle concerns about productivity loss and higher stress levels while working from home. Now, however, offices are happier to re-host their employees, and bosses are equally satisfied for this to happen so that companies can restore work culture and build the team culture again. Team breakfast, lunch, and dinner have to be brought back. A work-life balance lost has to be restored.

Cut to 2022, post-pandemic, slowly the scene is transforming. Many companies have slowly started this transition from work-from-home to the in-person mode by beginning the hybrid mode. Hybrid is essentially partial work from office. For instance, a five-day work with three days works from the office and the rest work from home. Sometimes, four days at work and one from the home office. It differs from company to corporation, employer to entrepreneur. 

As companies move towards the hybrid mode, many people are forced to cope psychologically with these changes. It is taking time to process new work and home routines for many. Organisations have ‘Return to Office Guides’ to help employees with the transition. Workplaces are slowly reverting to methods of team bonding – team lunches, activities, and camps to reignite work productivity. Just like most prepared our children to return to school post-pandemic, it is time we did the same to return to the office.

5 Ways to re-gear yourself Back-to-Work

1. Reset old routines

Commuting to work is back, which means planning. Try to talk to friends and colleagues living in the suburbs to share the car and go to the office. Pool in resources and save time, fuel, and energy to commute to work. This way, you won’t burn yourself out driving to work daily.

2. Arrange for childcare 

The childcare cost is skyrocketing post-pandemic, and those without the means to a supportive family or a home system will have to rely on a childcare provider. Some hire domestic help to stay at home to manage the house and children, and some hire childcare helpers to take care of the child alone. 

3. Prepare yourself (use the Big B mirror method) 

New routines can take a toll, so starting the routine a week before joining work is advisable.

4. Go shopping

Dress for yourself to impress yourself. Wear what you like and be comfortable. When you do that, it gives you the confidence to be yourself and who you are. Please do it for yourself. 

5. Icebreaker

Since returning to the job after a long gap, it will be nice to be part of the icebreaker and fun sessions to kickstart back to work. So, try to make time to join the team-arranged breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and make an effort to be part of office events and activities if possible. This is something we should make a step to be part of when we all return to our workspaces. Team bonding helps to know each other and will help to work better together. In addition, a celebration, cheering, and lightness during a casual team catch-up with teammates can make life lighter, work more attractive, and increase productivity.

The Pandemic gave workers a sense of freedom and belongingness, so any team leader needs to work towards providing this feeling to team members. They had the autonomy to work at a comfortable pace. Whether hybrid work model or full-time work from the office, every workforce should be mindful of the sense of independence the employee experienced. It is hard to ignore it. 

Mental health is an important aspect to address. Every organisation, if they have the avenue for and financial capacity for this support, should provide support and assistance to workers. Loneliness, exhaustion, and unhappiness have affected people more than ever. The two-year Pandemic, the forced lockdown, and the prolonged cocooned life has increased stress levels. It will need a lot of unlearning; unlearning anything needs support, help, and proper recommendation. 

As they say, there is resistance to every change, and humans take time to accept new things. This phase will also pass, and things will be back to normalcy. So, let’s beat our post-pandemic work blues!

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