One storm, many different boats.

Differing experiences during the pandemic and the anxiety of returning to work

Lucky?

As I sit at my desk writing this, at home while the kids are mercifully back to school, I am able to think about the last three months and I am struck by its how unreal it all feels.

I am fortunate enough to have a job that can be done reasonably easily from home, as long as people are happy to speak to me on the phone rather than physically meet. Good fortune has also meant that I have been able to assist a handful of Executives to find new jobs which is especially rewarding in such uncertain times.

What I have not been able to do, however, is work out what the new normal will be. I have been asked many times what I think, but it’s hard to form a definite opinion.

Different Realities

What is evident is that we might all be in the same storm but we are certainly not all in the same boat.

A key reason predicting the future of work is so hard is because we`ve all had such a different lockdown experience. From Europe to The USA all have different stories. By contrast, Australia has done relatively well to this point in managing through, be this due to luck or good governance you can choose. Perhaps again we are "the lucky country"?.

Economically it’s not been pretty, technically we are in a recession and financially a lot of people have taken enforced pay cuts or are living on the Job Keeper allowance.

Each industry has also had vastly different experiences. Those working in the Hospitality and Personal Services industry have had their livelihoods abruptly stopped, whilst those working in supermarkets have never been busier.

For the white-collar professionals the biggest impact has been their physical work location. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 46% of all working Australians were working from home in late April 2020 and this can be attributed to a significant increase of loneliness (16% of us are feeling lonely according to the ABS). So we feel lonely working at home and a possible return to work must be welcome? Nope that is causing even more anxiety.

Men’s mental health organisation, The Male Hug, recently carried out a survey asking people via Facebook and LinkedIn a simple question, ‘Are you more excited or nervous about returning to your workplace?’

The two platforms differed slightly in the responses but overall it was close to a 50/50 mix between those who are excited and those who are anxious.

The anxiety expressed is not surprising given the constant deluge of bad news delivered to us via all media outlets since the start of the pandemic, some people are literally afraid to leave their homes.

From March to April, anxiety across Australia has increased around twofold, according to the ABS. Professor Ian Hickie from The University of Sydney put the rise in anxiety quite simply,

“We generally take for granted that we go out in the world and nothing will happen to us, whereas [Coronavirus] has been: rush into your homes, don’t talk to anyone, don’t interact with anyone, you might catch something that might kill you. There’s a sort of loss of security in that. It has challenged people’s fundamental optimism about the world.”Being forced into isolation of course heightens this anxiety as human beings are social animals and our mental health is better when we are at school, work and socially connected."

Each days news only serves to increase our fear, the impact is significant socially and financially.

Melissa Norberg, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and Deputy Director of the Centre for Emotional Health at Macquarie University was not surprised at the findings and is quoted as saying. “It’s OK to feel uncertain,” “It’s OK to feel a little bit of distress."

It is therefore not surprising to hear that thousands of people have sought guidance on where they stand from an employment law perspective when it comes to returning to work.

The number 1 concern is social distancing in the workplace and how it will be adhered to.

Number 2 concern, people are extremely anxious about using public transport to get to and from work.

Remembering the words of Professor Hickie, we work better when we are connected - “The treatment, the cure, is to go out there in the world and discuss with others and get back to your normal life.”

Some people do not want to return to "normal" as they are enjoying life more in lockdown. Yes, there are some that have benefited during lockdown! There are reports of families flourishing with fewer time pressures, less need to juggle and more quality time for immediate family relationships.

Without the stress of drop off and running from school-to work-to footy practice, life has taken on a calmer perspective, for some. For those people, the end of lockdown may bring some reticence about re-entering a more hectic life centered around commuting to a workplace.

However, if you’re a single person who lives on your own, and has been staring at the walls for 3 months, the desire to return to work and professional socialisation will, of course, hold considerable appeal. This tallies up as loneliness which was the most widely reported source of personal stress for Australians during April.

Again, we are all experiencing a different reality.

It may take us several months but as we return to something that looked like the old normal it will feel more comfortable, human beings are highly adaptable and before you know it, these lockdown days will seem like a bad dream.

If you are feeling anxious or disconnected please feel free to reach out to The Male Hug. https://themalehug.com.au/