Returning to the office – not every employee is thrilled about it

Since the middle of 2020, when the Covid-19 virus started emerging in large swathes around the world, a large part of the global workforce got used to working from home.

We published 6 tips for a great workday for employees who had difficulty adapting to working from home:

1. Start the work day properly

2. Dress for success and productivity

3. Drop your distractions

4. Hang up bad habits

5. Create your work space

6. Plan your day

With a majority of people vaccinated in most countries, and the fact that communities have learnt to live with the Covid-19 virus, businesses are requiring their employees to return to work.

Where it was once a part of everyday life, working from the office – or WFO – is now a concept that people are getting used to all over again.

You may have heard from family, friends and colleagues that it was fantastic going to the office and seeing colleagues again…but what’s not being said very often is the fear that people are feeling about returning to the workplace. Not everyone is feeling joy; many are actually feeling the return-to-work blues.

Why are people feeling so much fear about a routine that they performed day-in and day-out all their lives? We explore five reasons:

1. People have gotten used to a ‘new’ routine

While it was difficult at first, many developed new routines for themselves. It could be exercising or walking the dog first thing in the morning, or even a spot of meditation or yoga right after work in the evening. Whatever it may be, employees – who saw no end in sight to the pandemic- worked hard to make their new routine work for them. Yanking them out of it now is a major cause of the friction.

2. Many have found that they were more productive

While a lot can be said about face-to-face meetings and in-person brainstorm sessions, it was found the remote workers were more productive than employees in the office. Employees were most likely less distracted, didn’t waste time hanging around the office water cooler, nor were they interrupted by colleagues poking their heads into their rooms or cubicles.

3. Employees did not have to deal with long commutes to and from the office

A 2018 CNBC report listed commute as the reason for 23% of workers to quit their jobs! Around the world, employees have tolerated long and uncomfortable commutes. However, the Covid-19 pandemic showed that they could do their jobs just as well – without the stress, anxiety, depressions and other negative effects that long commutes can bring about. Cutting down on long commutes also meant time and money saved!

4. Employees were able to spend time with family members who needed them around

Despite having their lives disrupted by Covid-19, many were able to find a silver lining in working from home. They were able to spend more time with their families, especially the ones who needed their presence the most, like aged parents or young children.

5. Employees became anxious about personal safety and catching the virus

The great resignation has happened, and believe it or not, millions aren’t looking for a new job because of their fear of being forced to return to the workplace and getting exposed to the coronavirus! People (who don’t live on their own islands – and that’s about 99.9% of the earth’s population) are afraid that returning to the workplace will leave them vulnerable to Covid-19 – something they’re unwilling to do after having endured lockdowns, vaccinations, isolations, and disruption to their lives.

As a manager, you would be better off acknowledging that some of your employees (if not all) may harbour the above-listed fears.

In our next article, we will describe how managers can support their employees in preparing to work once again from office premises.