Adjusting to working from the office

Through scientific advancements, and through a range of successful preventative and medical treatment measures, many companies are expecting their employees to transition back to the office. This transition may be more challenging than imagined for both employers and employees.

When the pandemic started, people were forced to work remotely and no one knew what the future looked like, or could predict how long remote working would go on for. And, in hindsight, the transition from office to home didn’t seem as difficult (not to say it didn’t come with its own challenges), as the transition back would.

A few challenges come to mind when you think about the transition process. When the pandemic started, many companies were forced to downsize. Downsizing included laying off employees, closing offices, letting go of contracts, etc. As time progressed, people adjusted to remote work, companies rehired some of its employees, some reduced salaries and others cut benefits in order to continue running their businesses as effectively and efficiently as they could.

While many companies had their employees return to their regular work schedule and environment as soon as possible, others transferred to rotating schedules that included three days in the office and two days at home as well as hot desking and open plan working stations.

Employees and employers also had to reconsider the level of productivity and autonomy that the new system provided to a lot of people working remotely. It’s hard to not question why some companies are stricter about the office transition even if they have noticed an increase in their employees’ productivity while enjoying a decrease in overhead costs and an improvement in work quality.

Communication a priority

There is no doubt that there were challenges related to communication, technical and/or operational difficulties, cloud computing, etc but despite the said challenges, people have reported a wide variety of benefits that have come from working from home.

Remote work allows people to avoid commute stress, (which is more environmentally friendly too), have better work-life balance, particularly for working parents, and improved inclusivity at organizations by not limiting people to certain locations or socioeconomic backgrounds.

In many cases, remote working has been associated with lowered emotional stress for many employees and although getting proficient at videoconferencing took time and adjustment, studies have shown that it definitely helped to decrease interpersonal frustrations, meeting room stresses and fear of public speaking for some employees.

On the other hand, many people who had been socially isolated for a long time had to almost relearn how to socialize. People report feeling ‘socially rusty’ and uncomfortable, in addition to the fear of contracting the virus as they return to the office. This may be especially true for vulnerable groups.

Not to forget the distractions that come into play when you are sitting together with several people after being accustomed to a personalized work environment. However, some people had to face extreme social isolation which can cause cognitive decline in specific areas such as memory and verbal recall, poor emotional regulation in social settings, lowered self esteem and confidence, and increased paranoid thinking. I think that it is safe to say that there have certainly been both pros and cons to both sides.

Moving forward, employers have a responsibility to create a safe working environment as its employees return to the office. A part of that is to help ensure coverage of the Covid-19 vaccination across the workforce. I understand that this could present a challenge to employees as they look to transition back to the office given their individual preferences for the vaccine, including the timing of when and if to get vaccinated.

This poses an additional stress for both parties involved as employers seek to balance the needs of their employees with what is considered ‘socially responsible.’ However, in most cases, employers have set a firmwide stance on vaccinations which employees are requested to follow.

The new hybrid working system may still need a lot of experimentation to find out what works best for both employees and employers and employers will have to make efforts to ensure that the transition is slow and flexible, while providing adequate mental health support to those who need it, as well as work collaboratively to respectfully adjust back into the traditional work environment.

At the same time, employees may need to communicate their needs with managers more regularly, minimize environmental distractions at the office, take advantage of daily commute, and socialize with co-workers.

It is safe to say that employers and companies will need to break old habits and systems to readjust to the “new normal” and the world is slowly evolving and learning to live successfully with the restrictions brought about by the pandemic.

This is a pivotal time for companies and organizations to reinvent the working environment, keeping the best interest of both employers and employees at front of mind to ensure a safe environment for everyone, allowing them to produce their best work while taking care of their mental health.

Maha B. Khan, Psychologist, Medcare Camali Mental Health Clinic