It’s 7:30am, and you’re just rolling out of bed to enjoy that first slow sip of hot coffee before meandering over to your makeshift home office. You stretch into your office chair, looking down at your plaid pajama pants and slippers, snuggling your sweatshirt as you smile thinking “I could get used to this.”
Until you realize that you have gotten used to this, and you’re actually supposed to be on your way into the office right now to promptly start the day at 8:00am, in your professionally dressed apparel and appropriately located office.
For many, it hasn’t been this serene and ideal working from home. Several of us have children, and although we have experienced those rare occasions of peace and productivity, in big part COVID-19 was a major overhaul of our traditional work day. You might be welcoming the office setting back with open arms, or you might be grumbling on your way in, missing the creature comforts at your home desk.
Either way, we are all adjusting, once again, to yet another new normal.
Post-Coronavirus office settings are different than what they were before the onset of the unprecedented pandemic. Many businesses have taken extra precautions to ensure safety and sanitation of their employees and clients. It may feel strange and can likely throw even the most eager of team members for a loop.
To ease the transition, we have compiled a few suggestions for when you return to the office this month:
- Take it one day at a time. If you have the opportunity to be flexible and choose two to three days per week, rather than a full five-day swing, take it.
- At the office, reconsider space allocation. Although many of us are craving that socialization we grew so accustomed to pre-pandemic, if you’re able to isolate yourself to get the majority of your work done, continue to do so. When you have to collaborate, limit your numbers and implement the 6-foot-apart rule.
- Implement new cleaning regiments. Even though you might have a daily or weekend cleaning team to do the nitty gritty work, we can each take responsibility in our own offices and areas by regularly sanitizing commonly used spaces such as doorways and chairs.
- Focus on the positives. If you enjoyed working from home, having all of your knick knacks at your finger tips, being able to see the kids or dogs when you wanted – then this change will be a challenge. But focus on the positives: you have a job and you have an opportunity to make a difference.