Dealing with the Unknown: Return-to-Office Anxiety

The first day returning to the office after a 14-month hiatus may feel like the first day of school. You don a new outfit (your sweats don’t seem office appropriate!), grab your packed lunch (not sure what restaurants will be open), and jump in your car early to make that 8:30 a.m. meeting in the office. Under the surface of your well-prepared appearance, you are a jumble of nerves. You have had a hard time sleeping since the company announced that the office was reopening. Your heart beats fast when you think about this change. You try to brush off these thoughts, but they sneak back into your worry queue at the most inopportune times. The feelings are real!

A Harvard Business School study reported that 80% of remote workers don’t want to return to the office full time. Human Resource practitioners and managers should prepare for a range of employee feelings about returning to the office. Encouraging open dialogue and flexibility will support a successful transition.

Management will observe a variety of responses to a call for employees to return to the workplace: excitement, fear, stress, and anticipation. For example, new employees who have not met colleagues face-to-face may be enthusiastic about “starting over” in person. Relationships are essential to career development and those new to the organization may be looking to cement them in person. On the other hand, many individuals learned they preferred a virtual work environment. Reasons for this home-based preference include more flexibility, increased time with family and friends, and a higher degree of concentration without office interruptions.

The first thing leaders in the workplace can do is encourage dialogue with employees about this change. These may be tough and somewhat uncomfortable conversations for employees to initiate. “No news is good news” is not an appropriate mantra for this transition. Avoiding this topic with your direct reports is an invitation for them to seek counsel elsewhere. Instead, ask employees what is on their minds. The coronavirus pandemic is a unique scenario for all, and managers would be wise to listen to questions and concerns. A good manager will advocate for employees and be reasonable when asked for manageable exceptions.

Furthermore, it is important to understand your company’s stance on returning to the office. Many companies have changed policies in response to the past year. For example, some companies are offering full time remote work as a permanent option moving forward, an exciting proposition for employees who found this arrangement simpatico with their lifestyle. On the other extreme, some organizations are taking a hard stance, requiring all employees to return to work full time in the office. Regardless of your company’s position, be prepared to share information about safety protocols.

There is no doubt that change is hard – even welcome changes that may bring employees closer to the normalcy of years past. Remember that you may feel differently than your staff. Be patient with them as they process dealing with another change in a seemingly endless stream of unknowns.