Returning to the Office after Remote Work? These Strategies Will Help Ease the Transition by Jennifer Janechek

Photo by Albert Chernogorov for StockSnap

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have been working from home for the past couple of months. With restrictions loosening in many states, employees are beginning to return to the office. Although the office environment and team interactions will certainly be different, this article offers strategies not for coping with these changes but rather for making the most of the transition from remote work to in-office work. 

Whether you have loved or hated your recent foray into telecommuting, one thing is for certain: working from home requires a different set of strategies than traditional in-office work. Help ease the transition back to the office with these principles for success:  

1. Set your alarm early enough to protect your self-care time.   
   To be sure, the demands on many of us, especially parents, have been intense in these circumstances, dismissing any illusions of a purely fun-filled #coronacation. However, many of us have found a silver lining in remote work by repurposing our commute time into time to pursue activities that have been missing or underrepresented in our normal lives. Whether it’s spending more time reading, exercising, enjoying a hobby, or simply spending more time with our children, we have been able to engage in life-giving activities to help us cope with uncertainty as well as progress as individuals. Don’t let returning to work end the healthy habits you’ve created. Create protected time in your day for these behaviors by setting your alarm early enough that you can squeeze in a workout, drink your morning coffee while reading a book, etc., before you go to work. That way, you’ll feel refreshed and ready for the day instead of unhappy about being back at work.    

2. Meal prep on Sundays.  
   Part of what makes working in an office stressful is the hustle of actually getting there. Perpetually being in a rush impinges on our work experience, making it feel frenzied. Do as much advance work as you can to ensure you arrive at work with everything you need, including a nutritious lunch. By preparing all your lunches for the week in advance, you’ll feel less rushed, better prepared, and better fueled during your workdays.    

3. Establish a work schedule, but budget in flex time. 
   Remote workers often simultaneously celebrate and lament the fluidity and flexibility of their work arrangements: being able to work at any time can be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, you might have the ability to run an errand in the middle of the day; on the other hand, you might not want to do that because it means working later in the evening and feeling responsible for answering e-mails during non-business hours. Successful remote workers know the value of scheduling their work activities in uninterrupted blocks of time and allowing for short recovery periods to enjoy the perk of flexibility. Translate this tactic into the office setting by scheduling 90-minute chunks of work time followed by 15-minute relaxation periods, as possible (it might not always be). During the recovery periods, you could scroll social media, squeeze in a quick run or power walk session, make a personal call, or attend to other tasks that would help create a better work-life integration for your in-office job scenario.   

4. Connect with family. 
   Yes, it’s been hard to maintain the same productivity levels at home with kids, spouses, and other people and animals requiring our attention, but we’ve grown accustomed to the extra family time, making it an adjustment to go back to working outside the home full time. For many of us, it will be important to talk with family members periodically throughout the day to diminish feelings of loneliness and distance. Use a few of your recovery periods (see strategy #3 above) to call, video chat, or text your kids, spouse—whomever—to stay connected.  

This period of mass remote work has brought its challenges, but it has also brought opportunities for pivoting and reconfiguring our work strategies. As Alyson Van Hooser writes in her forthcoming book Level Up: Elevate Your Game & Crush Your Goals, “Your success depends on your willingness and ability to adapt effectively.” Adapt and thrive in whatever work environment you’re in—check out Sound Wisdom’s titles for personal development and business improvement at https://www.soundwisdom.com/publications.