How to Transition Back Into the Office

Many of us have been plugging in from our home offices (or couches) for the last 18 months or so. With the vaccine rollout, many companies are asking that employees come back to the office. It leaves many employees thinking about how to transition back into the office.

Doesn’t it seem like an eternity ago that we rushed to drop the kids off at school, grab our morning coffee, and make our way into the office? Ahhh, the good ole’ days.

Over the last year, we have changed our entire routine, and that routine is now sunk in (it only takes 21 days to create a new habit/routine). We have since gotten used to having no commute, wearing leggings instead of suits, and simultaneously balancing kid’s schoolwork and work conference calls.

Now is the time to start thinking ahead about what a transition back into the office will look like.

Here are some strategies for how to transition back into the office that can help make that transition less stressful and more successful.

Have Grace With Yourself

First and foremost, have grace with yourself. Just as transitioning into work from home life was rocky, the transition back to the office will be rocky. There will be anxieties, tardiness, and miscalculations. It’s going to happen, and that is okay.

You should also have grace with yourself if you are uncomfortable with transitioning back into the office. It’s okay to not feel okay with it. That doesn’t mean that you don’t love your career or that you don’t want to be a good employee. It’s also okay if you feel excited to go back into the office. This doesn’t mean that you don’t care about your family or that you don’t enjoy spending extra time with them.

Also, having grace with yourself if your mind changes from day to day (or hour to hour). We are in the middle of an unprecedented global pandemic. Our lives have been turned upside down, almost instantly. It’s okay to feel what you feel.

And when you do transition back into the office, have grace with yourself that things are NOT going to go seamlessly. Things will go wrong. You will have socially awkward encounters with coworkers, you will underestimate the time required for new protocols making you late for an important meeting, you may cry in the bathroom over fear or exhaustion. When things happen, try your best to laugh it off (humor is a great coping mechanism) and understand that everyone is experiencing the same struggle. You are not alone.

Communicate Your Needs

Everyone’s circumstances are different. During this tumultuous time, you need to communicate your needs to those around you. This includes your partner, your children, childcare providers, coworkers, your boss, or anyone else that may be in your circle.

You simply can’t take for granted that people know what you need, You need to verbalize it. This is especially true in times of crisis.

If you need your partner to pick up some slack around the house, ask them. If you need your kids to be a little more self-sufficient in the morning, ask them (not that they will always listen, but a little tough love goes far). If you need special accommodations from your employer, ask them. The worst they can say is no. Plus, if you have an employer that is unyielding (within reason), that is a great sign that you should look for a new job anyways.

Check out: How to Ask for a Flexible Working Arrangement

Be explicit and confident when conveying your needs.

Ease Into Your New Routine

The first few weeks back to the office are going to be difficult. Do yourself a favor and ease back into the swing of things. Ask your employer if you can work half days for the first few days or flex your schedule a bit. At the very least, try to keep your schedule light for those first few weeks back.

You have likely been home for a while so you may need some time to adjust to your new daily routine. Do not be afraid to make that ask.

It will not only help you logistically, but it will be good for your physical and mental wellbeing. Going back to the office will be taxing and you need to take extra care of yourself.

Schedule & Set Goals

You simply can’t expect to head back to the office with the same productivity that you had pre-quarantine. Therefore, in addition to having a massive amount of grace, you will also need to be very intentional with your time and priorities.

One of the first things that you should do is identify your priorities and set SMART goals for each week. What is critical to get done ASAP? What will help you achieve your long-term goals and help drive your business/career forward? Those are the things that you should be prioritizing and making time for.

Speaking of time, one of the first things that you do as you transition back to work is to map out your week. What will your workweek and days look like? Will you need to make any changes due to childcare or new protocols? Next, start to plug in your priorities. Dedicate the most time to those things that you identified that will help you the most. Leave very little room for anything else.

This is one of those times to viciously seek out non-productive activities. Having a new-ish routine is a great time to get rid of dead weight.

Check out ways to be more effective such as time blocking and other time management hacks.

Look to Micro-Simplify Your Life

Our lives are filled with countless amounts of mental load. If you aren’t sure what mental load is, mental load (or emotional labor) is having a million things on your mind such as doctors appointments, school work for your kiddos, dry cleaning to pick up, birthday gifts to buy, school supplies to purchase, and on and on. You have all of this in addition to your actual work. This stress can eat away at you.

As you transition back into the office, look for ways to reduce this mental load.

Consider these ways to reduce mental load:

Use a grocery delivery service instead of running to the grocery store. I use Shipt and get my groceries delivered most weeks, thus eliminating an errand that I absolutely hate!
Using Amazon Subscribe and Save for everyday home items. I have toilet paper, dish soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and more on Subscribe & Save. It’s so nice not having to worry about running out of essentials.
Set Reminders as much as possible. Sometimes the mental load is worse than the task actually warrants. Think about a time that you had to schedule an appointment for a check-up. You kept remembering that needed to schedule the check-up, woke up at night worrying that you didn’t schedule it yet, and then thought about it some more. MUCH worse than setting a reminder for yourself at a certain time and date and pushing it out of your brain.

Practice Mindfulness

When you transition back into the office after Covid-19, you are likely going to be on edge. Not only are you going to be transitioning into a new normal (new routine, new working environment, new protocols that you will have to follow) but you may be a little scared or stressed.

Practicing mindfulness such as meditation is a great way to stay centered and calm when you are transitioning back to work. I’ll admit it, I used to think meditation was a little hippy-dippy. I tried it at the urging of a friend and I haven’t turned back.

Meditation has helped me during some particularly challenging times in my life. When I am feeling a little tense or unfocused a quick 3-5 minute meditation session is all that I need to get me back on track

When I am feeling a bit overwhelmed, I close my door and listen to a quick 3-minute meditation for stress. Afterward, I ALWAYS find myself feeling more relaxed, focused, and in control.

Luckily, there are a ton of resources for mindfulness beginners. Personally, I absolutely love the Headspace app. They have guided meditations for a variety of scenarios, emotions, and lengths of time. You can also find guided meditation sessions on Spotify and YouTube.

If you don’t have access to an app, even stopping, closing your eyes, and focusing on your breath for 2-3 minutes can help immensely!

Transitioning back into the office after working remote can be challenging. With a little preparation and a whole lot of grace, you can reduce the stress and disruption.

What are you most nervous about transitioning back to the office? How do you transition back to the office? Let’s chat, leave a comment below!

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