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. 

Sell is a Four-Letter Word by Jennifer Gluckow

It means YOU GOT YOUR WAY and/or MONEY. 

“Jen, I’m not in sales.”  
Wanna bet?  

Here are 6 situations that define why everyone’s in sales: 

• Have you ever negotiated to buy a car? 

• Have you ever negotiated to buy a house? Sell a house? 

• Have you ever tried to get bargains or find things on sale? 

• Have you ever argued about the price of something? 

• Have you ever persuaded somebody to your point of view? 

• Have you ever asked for a raise? 

You, my friend, are in sales.  

You may not consider yourself a salesperson, but you’re still selling (whether you want to admit it or not!). 

Think about the things you “sell.” 

Selling your point of view, your ideas, your choice of where to eat or where to vacation, even what’s for dinner—it’s a sale. A persuasion to gain agreement to your choice, idea, point of view, or action. A sale. 

You need to sell yourself (to a college, to a company for a job, to a potential life partner). NOTE: While there is no price tag attached, you’re still having to communicate your value, build relationships, and close the deal. 

You need to sell your ideas. They may be to your boss, to internal colleagues, or to customers. But regardless of to whom you are selling, you need to communicate your value, build relationships, and close the deal. 

See the big picture? Sales isn’t just a career—it’s a way of life. 

Many people in sales want to believe they help the client. Well, here’s a secret—the best salespeople are helpers. The best salespeople care and are genuine. And the best salespeople believe in themselves, their company, and their product. They believe the customer will be better off with their solution. Sound like you? 

I’ve met a lot of entrepreneurs and small business owners all over the world who love their craft—they love what they’re creating and believe in it, but don’t know how (or want) to sell it. Here’s a clue: a company without a leader in sales is not a company. At least it won’t be for long. 

For many, sales is a dirty word—I get it. You associate it with a sleazy or pushy car salesman (or woman!), or the worst sales experience you’ve ever had. 

Here’s a lesson I learned from my early sales days: In high school I worked in a neighborhood clothing boutique. During my first day on the job, my manager said, “DON’T force anything. If something doesn’t look good on someone else, find them something that DOES look good. DON’T let anyone go home with something that doesn’t look AMAZING.” 

At first, this seemed contrary to selling—wasn’t I supposed to sell the most clothing possible (and thereby make more commission?). Isn’t that why they hired me? To sell? 

After helping a few customers and following my manager’s strict instructions, I realized why she was right. If the customer went home with something that didn’t look right and modeled it for their spouse or their friends, and their “trusted advisors” said, “Ew return it,” they would never trust me (or shop with me again). But if they got the “oooh la la” response, they would be back in a NY minute. And bring their friends. 

The lesson: Tell the truth. Make a friend. Become a trusted advisor and you win. Your job as a salesperson is to help the client. 

No one wants to feel sold. Do you? 

Everyone wants suggestions, recommendations, knowledge, and expertise. 

Customers want to feel like you’re solving their problem, not selling them.  

When you’re genuine and sincere, you build trust. That trust allows you to sell in the future. 

A personal and powerful sales experience: I worked at a company that had salespeople (let’s define them as helpers with sales quotas) and account managers (defined as helpers, without sales quotas). The account managers would sit with the customer a couple times per year to review their account, figure out what was going right, what could be improved, and how we could help. Sounds great, but it was a major problem. The salesperson often didn’t attend those meetings. So during that time, the account managers would become the trusted advisor and the salesperson would lose credibility because they only showed up when it was time to renew the account. Do you show up only when it’s time to collect a check? The account managers were able to recommend products or services based on the trust they built through HELPING.  

LESSON: Be the helper all times of the year. Look out for your customer’s concerns and problems. Check in on their account and make sure they are continuously better off with your solution. Maintain your relationship every day, not just on a sales day. 

 If you produce the best product or service or have the best offer—the best pie, bread, crepe (can you tell I’m hungry?), software, solution of any sort—you need to be able to attract buyers, help demonstrate how they win with your solution, and have the confidence to ask for the sale. 

Everyone is in sales. You’ve probably been selling since you were five years old, you just don’t call it that.  

Take a hint from Zig Ziglar: “I have always said that everyone is in sales. Maybe you don’t hold the title of salesperson, but if the business you are in requires you to deal with people, you, my friend, are in sales.” 

Admit it, you’re in sales. Now go sell something. 

The original post appeared here on Jennifer Gluckow’s website. Her book Sales in a New York Minute: 212 Pages of Real World and Easy to Implement Strategies to Make More Sales, Build Loyal Relationships, and Make More Money is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and 800-CEO-READ.