It’s been over 365 days that employees have been mandated to work from home. The pandemic has affected how most employees act and go about their days. So, after being away for such a long time, offices are now opening back up and, hence, employees’ return. As you’d agree, there were many benefits of working from home, as most employees found time to be closer to their loved ones and all the other pros that come with working from home.
So, most employees are skeptical, for good reasons, about returning to office work, and there’s mental stress for employers as well. This blog will shed light on ways to ease back into the office work-life for both employers and employees.
Valuable Tips For Employers to Aid Workers Returning To The Office
Working from home has been seen to boost overall productivity according to a study by (Business News Daily). So, convincing employers and employees to return to the office will not be easy. The following are some ways employers can bridge the gap and help employees settle in after being made to work from home.
Have an honest conversation with employees
An excellent way to remove or reduce the mental stress employees may be having is to sit them down and discuss the changes they want with them. It is pretty easy to just put out a survey to choose between working from home or office. This is why this method should be avoided. Instead, allow them to give out an honest opinion with some top team members and look for a way to come to a compromise. By showing you care about their well-being, they would feel very comfortable letting it all out.
Ease the transition back to the office
Employers need to know that it takes a while for people to adjust to a whole new setting. Hence, it is expected that they ease the transition back to the office. It is pretty tricky for people who have become accustomed to working alone to quickly adjust and start entertaining many crowds back again. To this effect, you might want to start low and gradually build them to full-time working back at the office.
Be compassionate concerning the stress
As you know, not many employees are keen on having to resume full-time in the office. They may have become used to working remotely, and asking them to ditch all that and resume fully at the office might lead to mental stress. This is why one way to help them out is to be compassionate. As an employer, your employees should understand that you are with them and be a bit more understanding.
In conclusion, returning to the office after staying for so long working from home is never as easy as most people think. Some employees might be finding it hard to cope with social awkwardness after being away for so long. There are lots of cases where employees have suffered mental stress due to having to adjust fully. So, having explained some of the tips employers can work with, the process should then be made easy for both employees and employers.
