Recognizing Emotions: Preparing to Return to the Workplace

All across the U.S., after several months of orders to stay at home, shelter in place, and work remotely, resulting in many places of business being shuttered, the pressure is on to open up the economy again. The “save lives” focus is shifting to “save the economy.” Several states are venturing forward by opening public spaces and business-to-consumer locations.

Corporations are using a multi-pronged approach to prepare the physical environment based on data, building standards, logistics and artificial intelligence. Then they’re communicating with and training employees on how to work differently and reviewing their policies on how to get employees to actually feel safe. This may require leaders to accommodate a variety of personal needs to enable the organizations to be fully functional.

Meanwhile, employees may find themselves continuing to work from home on a part time basis, performing different job functions, or confirming their health status before entering the building. They may have to learn how to communicate effectively while wearing a mask or respond appropriately when a co-worker coughs or sneezes. Instead of coming to work when they had “a little cold or allergies,” they may be encouraged to work from home when experiencing even slight symptoms.

Emotional Environment

As important as the physical environment, employers will find that they must prepare the emotional environment because some employees have, in essence, been through a nightmare. They’ve been directly or indirectly impacted by sickness, the death of family or friends, supporting others in need, functioning as substitute teacher to their children, working more hours than normal, hardly working and wondering how to get food and pay basic bills, or social distancing when they crave face-to-face connections. Though many are thankful for whatever resources they have, they face a future full of unknowns and a feeling of insecurity that they just can’t shake.

They’re also helping family members to navigate the adjustment as even children recognize something is wrong. My four-year-old grandnieces know they can’t go to the playground because of germs and are clinging to their parents. And pets whose owners are working from home, are demonstrating strange activities that veterinary scientists call “displacement behaviors.”

Employees will return to the workplace bringing emotions related to three factors.

Experiences with COVID-19. Some will be obvious such as a personal or loved one’s diagnosis. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg and there’s a hulking mass underneath the surface hidden from view. This is the lingering aftereffects of the illness which still haven’t been fully documented.

Adjusting to those experiences as everyone’s emotional and mental health is impacted. Grief is a major issue, not only as a result of the death of others, but the general emotional and financial losses that have occurred. A recent survey by Qualtrics and SAP showed that in March and April 2020, 75% of people feel more socially isolated, 67% report higher stress, 57% are more anxious, and 53% are more emotionally exhausted.1 These employees need a greater level of support to be effective in their roles.

Personal needs that must be met for employees to be able to focus properly on the job. Particularly wanting to ensure the safety and security of their family members, that children are educated properly, and the list goes on.

Even when leaders have maintained frequent communication with employees while working remotely, the process of coming back into the workplace may dig up more emotions than previously anticipated. Some employees may find they need to make greater use of Employee Assistance Programs. And while leaders aren’t expected to turn into therapists, there are certain steps they can take to recognize the different needs of their team members and provide space for them to adjust.

Transition Discussion

Leaders and teams may benefit from a discussion prior to re-entry to the workplace to talk about what that will be like. Questions to ask may include:

• What has been most challenging for you over the past months?
• What was the silver lining for you over the past months?
• What creative talent did you uncover or develop?
• How have your priorities shifted?
• What do you need now in order to operate at your maximum potential?
• What does our “new normal” or “abnormal” look like to you?
• What have you learned over the past months that will help us to improve our work?

This is just a starter list of questions and leaders need to both listen and share their own responses.

The point is that the way we work has changed. Things once deemed easy to do, without a thought, have become more complex. My favorite example of this is grocery shopping. I used to just stop by the store whenever I needed something. Now I carefully plan the steps necessary to ensure I don’t bring home unwanted contamination. It’s stressful and takes twice as long because everyone now has a different way of making themselves feel safe. And this will impact individuals’ relationships, interactions, and approach to work.

So as employers continue to develop their plans to call employees back into the workplace, it’s important to understand that emotional considerations marked by uncertainty and insecurity will be present. Talk with your employees. You can’t solve it all but keep talking with them. There’s a familiar saying. “Employees don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

1. Ryan Smith, “How CEOs Can Support Employee Mental Health in a Crisis,” Harvard Business Review, May 1, 2020 https://hbr.org/2020/05/how-ceos-can-support-employee-mental-health-in-a-crisis

Copyright 2020 Priscilla Archangel?

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