The Transition of Working Life Post COVID-19
Unsure how you’ll go back to the office post COVID-19?
COVID-19 has changed the way we do, well, almost everything in life. I don’t think you would be alone in wondering how you will adjust to ‘normal’ life during or post COVID-19, including going back to the office after a period of working from home.
Like many other Londoners you probably lived an extremely busy life and that has all somewhat come to a screeching halt (maybe it was a blessing in disguise for you if you’re looking at the silver lining!). The problem is that now your body and brain are used to no commute, the gym is at your house and your socialising is all done from your phone at home. It could be pretty hard to convert back to ‘normal’ life.
How to transition back to ‘normal’ life post COVID-19
Below are some tips on handling your transition back to ‘normal’ life post COVID-19:
Keep a ‘normal’ schedule –
Try and keep your days on a similar schedule at home as to what they would be normally.
- Working hours – if you work ‘9 – 5’ in a normal day, retain those hours and take the same lunch break (ensure you get some social time and video calls in with team members also)
- Sleep – do not oversleep too often and try to keep your usual timings, as adjusting your body clock will be the largest contributing factor to tiredness
- Energy – you are no longer getting the same exercise of commuting or even walking around the office so while at home ensure you exercise moderately on a daily basis, otherwise you will struggle to keep your energy levels up once back to work
Mentally prepare –
Mentally prepare yourself for the shock that may come when going back to ‘normal’ life, know what to expect.
- Lack of energy – you will struggle with making it through the day so expect the wakeup to be harder and commute to feel longer. Try and get to bed earlier than usual
- Stress levels heightened – there may be an influx of work when returning and a sense of urgency to do well as the current economic climate will not return to its healthy state immediately. Try using meditation and yoga as a coping mechanism
- Be self-aware – know that you will struggle mentally with many things and it is okay. Know when to act or go easy on expectations of yourself during this transition. Set reasonable intentions each day and ease yourself back into things
- Socialising may overwhelm you – you have been at home for a while now so know that you may feel overwhelmed by social activities or encounters outside or inside of work, know when to step away as it is okay
Communicate –
Communication is key in any transitional period.
- Work – communicate with your manager that returning back to ‘normal’ working life is of concern to you and explore ways to help you transition, such as more flexible working hours or working from home even once a week at first (we may find that WFH becomes more than just a current trend). Give us a call if you were placed by us and we can help in this discussion
- Socially – let people know if you are overwhelmed with social interaction, whether it be colleagues or friends. Even if you have never experienced this feeling before, it is possible that going back to seeing multiple faces a day will feel overwhelming
- Professional help – you can always express to friends how you are feeling but professional help can also be the best advice. There are many free online and over the phone services that can help you with advice for your transition back to ‘normal’ life, see some resources listed here
Go easy on yourself in your transition back to ‘normal’ life
This has been a massive change in the way we live and you will not be alone in feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the change back to ‘normal’ life. The best advice that you can take in this phase is take it step by step and go easy on yourself, it is okay to not be okay.
Let us assist in your transition back to ‘normal’ working life
We understand that this will be a hard transition for many so please call on +44 20 7625 3300 or email us at support@australasian.co.uk to discuss approaching the transition with your employer.
Take care, stay safe and speak soon!
Australasian Recruitment Company