Learnings from a week of commuting to and working from the office

Whilst guidance from the UK government continues to be ‘work from home where possible’ (and will continue to be so until 21 June when the rules are next reviewed) employees are able to use COVID-secure offices where there’s need to do so.

The bulk of AXON and Madano’s workforce has worked remotely since March 2020, but we took the decision last July to open our office for those employees who for either physical or mental reasons (e.g., a challenging home set-up due to shared flat or limited space), may need the space to work in. So I have been into the office a few times since the beginning of the pandemic. However, last week was the first time I’ve commuted via train and was the first time I’ve worked continuously from an office for a full week since March 2020. 

The reason for my full week of commuting was that last week we moved to a bigger, better office on London’s Southbank. The purpose of the office has been put into question recently and whilst I’ve found myself working effectively from home, that’s not been the case for everyone and some are long for the day they can get back into an office. Our new space has therefore been created with the future of work in mind – we are likely to have a hybrid workforce going forward and so the space has been designed for the purpose of social connection and collaboration, as well featuring technology that supports effective hybrid meetings.

There were a lot of things I’d prepared myself for with the return, but there were also a lot of things I hadn’t considered. Given a large return to the office will potentially take place in the UK in the next few weeks, I wanted to share out some of my learnings and experiences from my first week back. What can employees and managers prepare for, and what are some of the unexpected elements.

Things I’d considered

·      Sunday evening felt like it was the first day back at school – I’d ironed my clothes and laid them out for the next morning, polished my shoes, packed my bag, the only thing I hadn’t done was sharpened my pencils (only because I don’t have any)!

·      I’d checked my train timetable, set my alarm and planned for the commute. I’d also tried to prepare for the journey by asking my train provider on twitter what to expect. Turns out they didn’t reply. But lucky for you I can share it with you; many train timetables have changed and there are often fewer trains running, sadly they’ve still not sorted out train delays, the number of people commuting fluctuates depending on the time and the day of the week – Monday and Friday and off-peak hours were quieter. However, some of this may change by 21 June, including the introduction of flexible season tickets to provide discounts for part-time commuters.

Things I hadn’t prepared for 

·      Just how nervous I would feel. Not about going into a new office - admittedly it was a bit strange to bump into so many new people and learn where things were and how things worked - but everyone was in the same position and it turns out our new colleagues from Hanover and Cherry are lovely! What felt strange was just being out of the house. I’ve been diligent in following the lockdown rules over the past year and so I have become pretty used to staying at home. That means the introvert in me has probably been dialled up over the past year and so a lot of my energy was used during the week from all the social interaction. That said, by Friday evening I spotted an ex-colleague getting onto my train and found myself banging on the window to say hello in the hope of sitting with them on the journey home!

·      My legs ached every evening. I’ve been doing ‘commute walk’ each morning for the past 6 months and have taken a quite a lot of calls as walking meetings. However, this didn’t seem to prepare me for how much walking I actually did during the day just moving to, from and around the office.

·      How to have small talk. This was probably the most unexpected and surprising element. 15 months of staying at home means I, (I’m sure many of us), have fallen out of practice when it comes to having chit-chat. And being frank, it’s not like there’s much to talk about in the way of new experiences after a Winter lockdown! Good news however - it was really reassuring that once I’d recognised it as a challenge and started forcing myself to practice again, it came back quickly.

·      My cat had separation anxiety. Turns out it wasn’t just strange for me being out of the house all day - my home cameras showed my cat spent the day wandering ‘round the house meowing and looking in every room to find me. Don’t worry though, he quickly got over it – Tuesday he contentedly napped most of the day.

Some suggestions

• Be patient, with yourself and others. Whilst we’ve all gone through the pandemic, everyone’s experience has been different. Everyone’s experience of returning will also be different. So, be respectful and ask how others how they would like to interact. Whilst we are legally allowed to shake hands and hug now, not everyone will be comfortable with doing so. Also, whilst from 21 June face masks may not be required, some may feel more comfortable in wearing them. If you do feel nervous about lockdown easing, there are some really useful materials from Mind that may help you prepare for the transition.
• Be flexible. If you manage others and you’re able to, let the employee dictate the pace at which they’re comfortable in returning to the office. Maybe do a trial day together. If the plan is for them to return a set number of days, maybe start by agreeing a couple of days and then increase things gradually.
• Think about the purpose of the office. For me, the office isn’t an effective place to have back-to-back virtual calls. However, it’s a great place for me to connect with my team and brainstorm with others. I’ll therefore make sure I plan the days I’m in the office around the type of work I’m doing. Work out where you are most effective (home, office, coffee shop, park) and then plan your activities around those spaces.
• Have some time for social connection. It may be a bit strange at first, but you’ll warm up. Also if you feel nervous, you may find it reassuring to have some conversation starters lined- up.
• Finally…get yourself some Epsom salts to soak those legs!