5 helpful ways to ease employees back to office
Marilyn Choong
#1 Bestselling Author in The Straits Times and Amazon Singapore for The Thin Veil Between Us | Regional Marketing | Branding | Events | Writer
I was disheartened when I heard the latest news that the Singapore government is easing the workplace measures with effect from 5 April! Working from home will no longer be the default. Up to 75% of employees can now be at the office at one time. After so many months of getting used to working from home, the sudden thought of returning to the office felt like a dagger stabbing my heart.
Waking up at 7am is no longer possible; my daily morning exercise routine with Fitness Blender videos must now be erased from the schedule; I will miss the weekday lunchtime airing of America’s much-loved gameshow ‘Wheel of Fortune’; and my poor dog will have to get used to not seeing me at home 24/7. This is absolutely sad news!
According to a recent poll conducted by our national paper, three in four respondents (out of 2,600) who are now working from home do not wish to return to the workplace. For most, the amount of time and money saved by not commuting or eating out were the main reasons for their reluctance to return to the office. Others highlighted the benefits of being able to spend more time caring for their families, especially those with young children and elderly relatives.
The pandemic and lockdown have proved that working remotely is definitely possible without sacrificing work productivity. I guess not everyone thinks the same, for every person that loves working from home, perhaps a few others absolutely hate it. That said, companies need to take a subtle approach to this and not enforce an immediate ‘back to office everyday’ arrangement too quickly. They could consider a hybrid model, i.e., a mix of face-to-face interactions and remote teamwork. Employers also should recognise that the workplace is no longer a fixed place but an ecosystem of diverse locations and experiences, and ask how the work arrangement can best support flexibility and their staffs’ mental health and overall well-being. For most of us, working from home has helped us to become more effective as we have more time to engage in personal wellness (additional sleep, exercise) that we aren’t able to do when we go into the office everyday.
Having said that, the company I am working for is deploying a hybrid approach combining remote work and office presence. Under this model, employees have the option to work remotely for part of weeks with two days as a general guide. This will be deployed globally in the next few years. This is good news and I applaud it. We can now achieve a better balance of working from home as well as in the office. I hope more companies can implement similar strategies since, in today’s world, working from the office everyday with full staff strength is an anachronism which should eventually be disposed.
How drastically will life change for office workers here in Singapore after 5 April? And for office workers in other cities around the world who will soon face similar situations? No one has written about this yet, so I thought it would be timely to discuss how all of us can transition back to the office with ease. (Or with a heavy heart!).
Here’s my take:
1) Continue with virtual meetings upon return to the office?
I was secretly happy that Zoom and Teams meetings replaced face-to-face discussions. Virtual meetings do not usually drag for more than an hour compared to physical meetings. And since most of my Zoom and Teams meetings were on audio, I could multi-task and be more efficient working on other things while listening to (sometimes quite boring) meetings. Another benefit: these platforms simultaneously allowed greater collaboration via team check-ins, virtual coffee catch-ups and after-work drinks without having to spend the time at a physical venue. That is, staff working in different locations had more opportunities to socialise, encouraging greater inclusion.
Once more staff are allowed to return to the office, the questions include: Should we eliminate virtual meetings altogether? And, what can companies/managers do to help make this transition easier? One way is to determine collaboration habits. Daily team check-ins should remain as it helps to distribute and create clarity of tasks and allow those working remotely to be part of the daily team conversations. Don’t remove virtual meetings but continue even after everyone heads back to the office. A hybrid way of working perhaps offers the best of both worlds; working from home for more focused, uninterrupted work combined with time in the office for socialising and collaboration.
2) Embrace the reality of overcrowded public transportation and learn to meditate
The pandemic has made me a germaphobe. The thought of commuting in a jam-packed train to an office in the heart of the city is frightening. Colgate-Listerine laden breaths will fill your nostrils. Loud rock music blasting from someone else’s headphones will be destroying your peaceful morning vibe. Commuters rushing past you to the train station or grabbing the seats in the train will once again prove frustrating. The commute to work will drain all physical energy out from you, leaving you exhausted even before you step in the office! While working from home, we all started at 9am bright and chirpy (most days, anyway), still in our pyjamas and without make-up; that was an amazing feeling. What should we do to make this transition easier? It’s time to reprogram your mind for positive thinking and re-channel your thoughts to start the day. I highly recommend Marie Diamond’s Tubes of Light meditation.
3) Pets will be lonely at home and might develop separation anxiety
This is of no fault of theirs. They had a full year of spending 24/7 with us. They are used to our attention, playtime and additional walks throughout the day. We, on the other hand, are going to miss the licks on our cheeks or them sleeping at our feet as we work.
As dog owners, we have the responsibility to make the transition a little easier. One way is to simulate going to work prior to the actual transition. One can start pretending to go to work twice a week, set up the same routine we used to be doing pre-COVID times. The pets will start to understand when they get fed and what to expect when they are alone. A veterinarian recommends that pet owners gradually increase the amount of time we leave the house each day and to pet-proof the home in case they develop separation anxiety. Dogs get bored easily so what may look like a basket of socks, all of a sudden, becomes a “seek and destroy†mission. All these items within their reach should be removed prior to leaving for work. If you have extra cash, hiring dog walkers or enroling them in doggie day care would be ideal.
Some companies even provide pet perks, in the form of honouring that special bond staff have with their pets—e.g., providing a bag of doggie snacks on the first day back in the office so that staff could take them home to their pets.
Ruffles will be spending more time with his best bud- Mr. Crocodile, once I return to the office.
4) The morning routine of having a leisurely breakfast, meditating, walking the dog, exercising will now be over.
Yes, this is a drastic change. All that rushing in the morning to get ready to head to the office will bring about that unnecessary stress you hadn’t experienced in the past year. This adds mental stress even before you start work!
During your commute to work, I suggest creating a list of the good food around your office for lunchtime. Plan who you will meet for lunch and head over to the food venue to explore. This will give you something to look forward to. I also suggest that once you reach the office, write down a work task to-do list in your notebook. This will provide you with more clarity at work as there are bound to be multiple distractions like colleagues coming to your desk, pantry chit chats, etc.
5) Work clothes may no longer fit
This has got to be the most dreaded realism ever! If you can no longer fit into your previous sizing from a year ago, then it is time to declutter and remove them from your closet immediately. Donate them to charity. Decluttering clears the mind and instils a sense of focus. Plus, buying new clothes is one way to spend the money you saved by not going out over the past year and to help restart our economy.
A year ago, there was a lot of discussion about the mental health impacts of working from home. Now it is the opposite! How will the transition back to the office impact our mental health? What are your thoughts on heading back to the office to work? Please share them with me in the comment box below!
This article is dedicated to my lovable 11-year-old furkid, Ruffles, who always encourages me to keep on writing (and wanting to spend more time at home)!
Check out some of my previous published articles:
Comms Lead, AI @AdeccoGroup | IC+AI Chief Explorer | AI Educator | AI Filter | ?? Mostly Comms Folk ??
3 å¹´Thank you Marilyn for sharing. My quick thoughts on your five... 1)???Continue with virtual meetings upon return to the office? -- Yes for sure. Particularly, with hybrid ways of working. Some colleagues might be working remotely from the office, when you could be in the office. The key here will be how we design offices and meeting rooms, technology (wireless headsets, noise cancellation, in room mics around the room so everyone is heard, etc) and spaces (different zones to cater for the different activities of work we all do, so we have choice in the office space), to how we ensure that it's seamless, ensure that it doesn't feel like a call-centre with lots of people talking at their desks on headsets and potentially disturbing others. Agreeing together new behaviours, etiquette, respect and kindness for one should be top of mind. 2)???Embrace the reality of overcrowded public transportation and learn to meditate -- It's an important point. What we can do? Manage your timings. Agree with your manager potential new incremental changes to timings such as if you start at 6am for an hour, then you off-set your 'get into the office' time to miss the mad-rush of the commute, as one suggestion. Think creatively and talk and discuss with your manager and building that relationship. Gear up! Masks, gloves (if needed), hand sanitiser, be super conscious of social distancing where possible, look at alternative routes into the office is possible, etc. 3)???Pets will be lonely at home and might develop separation anxiety -- This is the saddest of impacts. If only, there was a Netflixs for pets. Different job ideas could spring up, such as the pet walking and time with owners pets during the week. If the owner, is working agile/flex/smart, then at least there's a few days where they are at home with their pet. Dogs yes, cats are not bothered! ha. 4)???The morning routine of having a leisurely breakfast, meditating, walking the dog, exercising will now be over. -- Think creatively, and make this work still. Take the best bits of the routine and look at ways how you can keep them going. This is the new way of being. Embrace it and make it work best for you. Invest in that time to keep you sane and enjoy life. 5)???Work clothes may no longer fit -- Two words....NEW WARDROBE! Restyle your look and get ready for the summer and future socials. It's an opportunity to chat with style consultants and create your perfect capsule wardrobe to make you feel good and look good!
AXA XL, a division of AXA - Executive Assitant
3 å¹´You are right! Interestingly back to normal may impact our mental health again! "Normal" we believed is not normal now. We should have been accustomed to work in the office from many years experience but we already tasted the great benefit of WFH. I also built the exact same routine as you to exercise in the morning since turning to WFH mode even I am not morning person(sometimes no time to bite breakfast before), commuting time & make-up time clearly shifted to new routine. I love this life as if I complished something impossible for me. In our country, it would be still ahead to catch up your life, I have not thought the after life, it is good oportunity to prepare my mind in advance thanks. So jealous you can feel fluffy at your feet while working!
Chief Operating Officer Europe - Howden Broking
3 å¹´Great article Marilyn!!
ROI-driven B2B Marketing Director APAC | Tech & Fintech | Building marketing strategy, driving market expansion and generating demand across APAC markets
3 å¹´I was just talking to someone about "re-entry" the other day. While many people found the move to WFH tough, I think just as many may find it hard to go back. Personally, I started my current job in the 2nd week of circuit breaker here in Singapore. I have never worked in the office. I have never had a desk. I don't even have an ID card. When the office started to re-open in November, I didn't rush back and said, "after Christmas". In January, I said, "after Chinese New Year". In February I said "after the March school holidays. Now, as we have a company shutdown next week, I have delayed it again. The idea of going into the office to be surrounded by people I don't know, in a strange environment and wearing a mask all day, just doesn't appeal enough for me to rush back. We have been told it won't be compulsory to go back until July (and then we only have to be in the office 50% of time) but I do feel I "should" show my face before that. Maybe next month.......... (BTW, have you tried any of the 1000 calorie workouts on Fitness Blender? If not, try!)