Tips for returning to work

Returning to the office after months of lockdown can be a bizarre experience. This place that you know inside and out is now different, somehow, and it’s hard to explain what has changed. The truth it, it’s unlikely that anything has changed – but nearly four months working from your couch has made it difficult to remember a time when you had a real desk.Even sitting upright in your desk chair can feel alien to you, and that’s because the last few months have been so repetitive as to make you feel slightly displaced now that you’ve returned to some normality.It may even take a day or two to get used to your office space again, but in the meantime, here are some ways you can make the transition from couch to workspace that much easier and safer.Familiarise yourself with the new rulesEvery office or workspace will have different rules that consider factors such the number of employees and the physical landscape of the room, so it’s important that you familiarise yourself with these rules before you go back to work.These new rules could include things like sanitising your hands upon entry to the building, using certain routes to enter and leave, or how many people are allowed in the canteen at one time.Sanitise your laptop and inboxFour months’ worth of working from home can spell disaster for your hard drive, and you may be carrying way more digital baggage than you think you are – especially if you use the same laptop for both work and personal use.Give your laptop a good wipe down by removing unnecessary files, backing up important ones, and giving your e-mail inbox some late spring cleaning.Make a habit out of communicating It may feel strange speaking to your co-workers face-to-face again now that there’s no mute button (just kidding!), and your communication skills may be a little off after months cooked-up at home.Make a habit out of talking to your co-workers. Not so much that you distract from the work at hand, but make sure your needs are communicated, and make sure to ask them if they need anything in return.Ease yourself back inThis is an unusual transitioning period after a highly unusual period in history, so don’t beat yourself up if your productivity levels are taking a little longer to get back to pre-covid levels. You have to walk before you run, and there’s no shame in asking for help along the way.See our previous blogs about productivity tips here, here, and here.-------------------We hope you all enjoy being re-united with your co-workers in your own offices spaces, just like we were completely over-the-moon to return to ours. Let us know in the comments if you’ve just returned to work – and how it all went!