The lockdowns are over, and companies have started calling their employees to work from the office. But is it that simple? Obviously not. After working from the home office for over a year, it’s hard to ensure a healthy transition without taking an emotional toll.
However, with the right knowledge, you can handle this transition (home to office) better. Want to learn how? Well, read along. This blog will help you prepare well for the transition period. Also, you’ll find ways using which managers can ensure a healthy workplace for employees post lockdown. So, let’s begin.
What challenges are employees facing while transitioning from WFH to work from office?
After working for so long from home, employees have adapted to the home environment. And this transition to the office is posing some issues such as:
1. Difficulty in adjusting to a professional environment
Working at home has been bliss for most employees. You could work in your pajamas, t-shirts, and flip-flops.
However, a sudden transition will force employees to wear professional clothes and behave professionally too. At home, you could lie and work, but that’s not how an office works.
2. Eating habits
With the WFH model, you could eat whatever and whenever you want. Although offices never restrict you from eating anything but you cannot take your wife to the office. You cannot tell her to make whatever you want.
3. Productivity
WFH has made employees quite lazy. Most of us complete a 1-hour job in 2 or maybe 3 hours at home. And this is something you cannot do at your office. Transitioning from a poorly productive environment to a highly productive environment is another challenge employees are facing.
How to prepare yourself for work from office transition post lockdowns?
Here are some techniques you might find useful:
1. Visualization
Visualizing things can significantly help you deal with anxiety-filled situations. So, if you are about to start or have already started going to the office, start visualizing.
You can visit your office an hour early and sit at the chair. While sitting, close your eyes and recall how it was like a year ago. This way, you’ll eventually start to feel normal.
2. Update your office workspace
Your home workspace must have been quite comfortable. So, make your office workspace look like it. Place your family’s pictures around your desk and make the environment more inviting.
Also, declutter and throw unneeded things from your office. It may seem small, but a clean office is important for a healthy workspace.
3. Schedule everything
Create a schedule for eating, sleeping, bathing, and possibly everything. This will help you include going to the office as a part of your daily routine. Also, when the day comes, you won’t find visiting the office hard.
How can managers ensure a safe and healthy workplace for post lockdown transition?
Managers can take the following measures to ensure post covid emotional wellness for employees:
1. Communicate frequently
As a manager, intimate your employees about the upcoming transition. This will help them adjust.
2. Take things lightly at the start
Most, if not all, employees will be less productive than usual. However, this is normal and will eventually improve. So, don’t lash out at them.
3. Involve them and innovate
Discuss the measure you can take with your employees for adapting the new environment. This will give them a sense of being involved in decisions.
4. Be flexible
Be flexible enough to frequently change what you plan. After all, everyone is new to this change and will take time to adjust.
5. Take feedbacks
Ask for unbiased feedback from your employees. This way, you can check whether or not your strategies are working.
Wrapping Up
Transition or change has become a part of life. We should embrace it in the best manner. If you’re a normal employee, make sure to adjust. If you’re a manager, ensure employee well-being at all costs. And all this is possible if you follow the above steps. So, get going now!