As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, you may be feeling a little anxious about returning to work. It is vital then, to take active steps to help alleviate some of this anxiety, to help you to find peace of mind before you are back at work again.
We are going to share some of our top tips to help you prepare for the idea of going back to work after lockdown, and also look at what the new ‘normal’ way of working might be.
History of lockdown
Back in March 2020, when lockdown first came into effect, going back into the office seemed like it was a long way off. In fact, for many, working from home has become the ‘new normal’.
However, the day is getting closer when most people will be back to work after being furloughed or working remotely for months. No wonder this seems like a daunting prospect for some.
Staying at home, social distancing and working from home is now considered “normal”: and so people are understandably worried about going back to work alongside colleagues and potential customers as well (depending on your job role).
The way that we work will change as well, it won’t be the same as it was before Coronavirus, as our work environments and the way we interact with our colleagues will change as well.
Expect Changes
If you are going back to work in an office, then you will need to be prepared for some changes, such as:
- Changes to seating arrangements. There will be a restriction as to the number of people who can sit at one desk, or in one area of an office.
- Having to check in for work. Some companies are using desk booking apps to keep track of which desks are occupied and how many people are in the office at once.
- Working closely with people – from a distance! Social distancing rules still apply, and so you will have to adjust to working closely with colleagues without getting too physically close – which may be odd, to begin with
- A potential second spike in COVID 19. Probably the most common worry about returning to work is seeing a potential spike in the number of COVID 19 cases again. With this in mind, it may be a good idea to order one of our Peace of Mind COVID tests, as this has 100% specificity towards SARS Cov-2 and is aimed at detecting the presence of COVID-19. Taking this test and achieving a negative result will help give you peace of mind that you can return to work safely.
- Upsetting colleagues. It can be easy to be so tied up with work that you forget to follow the proper social distancing rules and risk upsetting one of your colleagues.
- Your concerns may not be taken seriously. Many people are worried that their concerns about the coronavirus won’t be taken seriously by management
- New PPE equipment – you may find that your company has invested in a variety of things to help prevent the spreading of the coronavirus – such as hand sanitisers, door stops and even compulsory workplace COVID-19 tests
What are the common worries about returning to work?
With all these changes happening in the world of work, what are the common worries that people have about returning to work?
As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why people may feel worried about returning to work after lockdown, but there are a number of things you can do to help find peace of mind before this happens.
