Are you ready to go back to the office?

Do you remember your last working day at the office? Getting a coffee, rushing into a meeting, passing by your colleagues’ desks. For a lot of professionals, that used to be the daily office life until some day in March. What followed was a need to adjust to a home office with an “until further notice" sign put up, along with navigating multiple roles as employees, parents, sometimes part time teachers and caregivers within the same eight hours.

Time passed, even if haphazardly, and now businesses are discussing the return of employees to the office. Are companies prepared? Are employees ready physically and mentally for the new Covid-19 layer on an old and familiar daily routine?

Welcome back to That Expat Life, a bi-weekly newsletter that highlights the latest news, trends and conversations that touch the lives of expats in the Gulf. If you like what you’re reading, make sure to subscribe using the button above. Would love to hear your feedback, along with what you want to read about in the next newsletter using #ThatExpatLife in the comments below.

Are you ready?

While some can’t wait to return to the office whatever it will look like, some find the idea very daunting. The lockdown period has had a mental toll on a large number of people, mental health experts are expecting a “tsunami” of mental illness following the lockdown, one possible reason for that could be the lack of access for help when needed.

Speaking about mental health at work under the current circumstances proves a key element in the adjusting phase. But how can employees broach the subject with their managers? And how can managers create a supportive environment for the employees and team members to ask for support?

Dr. Valentina Faia, specialized psychiatrist and therapist, joined That Expat Life live discussion around getting mentally ready for the idea of returning to the office during a pandemic. Watch the full video below:

Getting the office ready

When Dubai announced that businesses can resume their workplace operations, the news came with a list of measures and rules to be followed to ensure the safety of workers. These measures include: 

? Only 30% of employees should work from office and the rest should continue to work from home.

? Entering the workplace requires health checks at the door by taking everyone’s temperature. Elevators will follow the 30% capacity rule as well. All employees and visitors must wear face masks at all times in the building.

? At the office, physical distancing of two meters is a must, maximum of five people is allowed into a room for a meeting, while still maintaining distance. Disposable utensils to be used in cafeterias, and water dispensing machines are not allowed.

To understand how companies are applying this and communicating with their employees, I talked to a Dubai-based CEO, whose company started reopening its Dubai office at the beginning of last week. Watch the interview below:

If you have been going to the office, how are you adjusting? Are you retuning to the office soon? How are you feeling about the idea? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below, along with what you’d like to discuss in the next installment of #ThatExpatLife.