In today's fast-paced world, the workplace has become an integral part of our lives. We spend a significant amount of time at work, and it is essential that we maintain our mental health to be productive and efficient. Employees returning to the workplace after a hiatus need to be supported with their mental health in mind. With the COVID-19 restrictions finally coming to an end, and the situation changing across the globe, more employers are urging their staff to make some kind of transition back to work from the office. With the end of remote working, there has been a reported surge in anxiety as employees push themselves to realign with something that had been out of touch with for nearly three years.
A global study by McKinsey highlights that employees returning to work are facing unprecedented anxiety and stress regarding the transmission of COVID-19, the safety of the use of public transport, safety measures in the workplace, and lifestyle transition of work-from-home routines to going back to the workplace. Employees are also apprehensive about the kind of changes they may expect to find once they are back at work. Of course, then there is also the eternal struggle for work-life balance. While work-from-home routines were difficult to adjust to at first, most employees reportedly preferred work-from-home arrangements because it helped them finally hit that work-life balance sweet spot. Now, going back changes all of that, and employees must recalibrate both their and their family’s expectations regarding that balance they had found.
So if you are a manager reading this, know that managing this change is very important for continued motivation and productivity. If you didn’t know it already, please understand that mental health problems are the biggest source of loss of productivity across the globe. As a manager, you can help your employees make this difficult transition with much greater ease by doing the following:
Open all channels of communication: First things first, tell your employees that you understand that this change is not easy, and offer them a period of transition within which pertinent workplace rules – such as office timings, will not be adhered to very strictly. Offer some flexibility for a limited period of time, such as a month, so that employees can transition more comfortably and get used to the new normal. Let the employees know that you are there for them and that they can always turn to you for any kind of additional support they may need during this time.
Address some of the anxieties: Overall, the anxieties related to re-joining work can be categorized into three. The first is that of safety arrangements. People may need to know what kind of safety arrangements are in place for them to keep safe from possible infections or re-infections. If you don’t already have a policy, it’s time you make one. The second category is that of workplace changes. If there are any protocol changes or new policies that must be adhered to, do discuss them with the employees so that everyone is in the know. Finally, we come to the white elephant – work-life balance. Now that your employees have had a taste of what work-life balance feels like, you just can’t expect them to go back to how things were before COVID-19. Discuss these issues and let them know what strategies (such as flexible working hours/ remote working options and more), are you willing to offer.
Offer reasonable adjustments: Reasonable adjustments may include greater flexibility in work schedules, requests to work from home for a few days in the week, continued remote or teleworking, additional time off to deal with stress, etc. It is up to the organization to decide what a reasonable request is, and whether adjustments can be made without hurting the organization’s profits. Once employers recognize that different employees anticipate on-site work differently and therefore respond to it differently, it will be easier to address these issues.
Mental health support: finally, and most importantly, it is absolutely necessary to provide some form of mental health support to your employees. You can have a mental health professional visit you and talk to your employees, you can organize a seminar or a workshop where employees can be offered specific solutions to the major concerns they have, and you can also try to address the stigma attached to COVID-19 and replace any negative attitudes or discriminatory policies and practices with better ones. Post-pandemic mental health support should ideally be one of the most important aspects of your organization’s return-to-work strategy.
So, as a mental health organization, here are our two cents on this issue that touches every single one of us. COVID-19 turned our lives and our routines upside down. Now that life is getting back to normal, organizations must recognize that for most people, the pandemic had become the new normal, and this transition to pre-pandemic life will be difficult. As responsible employers, it is your responsibility to ensure your employees’ mental health, and even from an organizational point of view, maintaining morale is critical for productivity. So plan this transition well, and wisely. Involve a mental health professional in the transition plan, so that workplace safety and employee well-being are ensured.
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