Ah, the office. Not a biscuit-wanting child, yapping dog, noisy neighbour, or annoying housemate in sight. For some, going back to the office is a welcome escape from the perils of remote working. But for others? Not so much.
If you’re encouraging your employees to come back in – whether once a month, weekly, or full-time – then it’s important to be aware of anxiety about returning to work.
With a fast vaccine roll-out and society reopening, it’s easy to forget that the virus is still a threat – especially to some groups. In the UK, many of your workforce will be waiting for their first vaccine – let alone their second – and may have vulnerable people in their lives to protect, as well as themselves.
What you can do:
Some employees might feel fine about coming into the office, but uneasy about the prospect of 30+ people in one room. Maybe because of coronavirus concerns, maybe as it’s a tiring prospect after so long. And unless you’ve got an impressively expansive office, there’s not a lot of ways of getting around that if you all pile back in.
What you can do:
It might be the journey in that’s the problem, not the office itself. Playing sardines on the underground, unreliable bus timetables, traffic jams, perilous cycle paths – a lot of employees have enjoyed avoiding spending an hour or more of their day in uncomfortable circumstances.
What you can do:
After waves of redundancies, furloughs, business closures, and a difficult job market, it’s unsurprising that not everyone is particularly confident about their job. Going back in the office might feel daunting for that reason – with imposter syndrome causing fears of being ‘exposed’, especially if they joined the company during lockdown.
What you can do:
Many employees are reluctant to return to the office for one reason: they like the freedom of flexible working. Relinquishing that will be a big fear, due to a lack of trust that organisations will maintain WFH policies post-coronavirus. Take that choice away, and resignation letters may not be far behind.
What you can do:
The advice we’ve given might help… but your best bet is hearing it directly from your people. Use one of our targeted surveys for a clear understanding, thanks to powerful language analysis tech and research-led question sets. We’ve got lots to choose from, but these two might help:
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